Complete with school marching bands, dance krewes and adorably-decorated floats, the Mid City Gras Parade was a perfect way to celebrate some family-friendly Mardi Gras fun.
The parade took place Feb. 20 on North Boulevard, and while it may have been a short, low-key affair, the Baton Rouge community couldn’t have been happier to be out and celebrating Mardi Gras with their friends and families.
“It just feels great to see the community and see people who I don’t get to see very often,” Baton Rouge resident Jessica Stroope said.
The parade hosted performances by The Hillsdale High Steppers, The Flamingeauxs, A Body of Royalty, The Krewe of Circue Louisiana, The Baton Rouge Beignyays and many other great troupes. These dance krewes brought the sass to the festivities, delivering on-point choreography with impeccably decadent costumes topped off with wigs, glitter and Euphoria-esque eyeshadow looks.
An “Enchantment Under the Sea” float was featured in the parade, boasting a great deal of tinsel and some camp-looking faux prom outfits. While this float was a knock-out, the biggest standout out of the whole parade was an Amazon-themed float that showcased a large replica of Jeff Bezos’ peculiar-shaped rocket ship. The krewe even put together a throne made out of old amazon packages to top off the whole ordeal.
The parade was an assemblage of fun-loving oddballs on stilts, older folks sitting out in lawn chairs, worried moms trying to keep their babies from stepping into the middle of the procession and kids screaming at the top of their lungs begging for some beads. People were dancing, spinning, rollerblading, stepping, singing, playing instruments, doing acrobatics and chucking beads left and right.
After being unable to celebrate this momentous holiday for nearly two years, the Baton Rouge community was radiating energy of almost tangible joy and bliss as they embraced their loved ones and greeted old friends. Louisiana without Mardi Gras just wasn’t the same, and residents took a sign of relief to have Carnival back.
Once the parade came to an end and families and friends started leaving together, a smile was plastered on every person’s face.
