This article was published in the February 2023 issue of 225 magazine. A version of this story was originally published in 225 Daily in March 2022. It was updated to include information about Krewe of Shenandoah in 2024.
Despite New Orleans’ and Acadiana’s unique traditions on Fat Tuesday, Baton Rouge’s Carnival celebrations are over by Mardi Gras Day. Why?
Parades in the Red Stick typically end the weekend before Mardi Gras, after the Krewe of Southdowns Flambeaux Parade and the Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade roll on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, respectively.
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Travel is a big reason, Paul Arrigo, the recently retired president of Visit Baton Rouge, told 225 in an interview last year. For many in Baton Rouge, no local celebration could be as appealing as New Orleans’ “Greatest Free Show on Earth.” For others, the long weekend is a chance to jet off on vacation.
But that could change.
“I’m confident that in the near future there will be enough demand to either move the dates of parades to Mardi Gras Day, or we’ll see a new parade forming to run on Mardi Gras proper,” Arrigo says.
After all, the city has seen new parades launch in recent years, with Mid City Gras forming in 2018 and Krewe of Oshun launching in 2020 (plus Krewe of Shenandoah rolling for the first time on Lundi Gras.)
Visit Baton Rouge and the city itself do not plan the parades. This shift would likely be driven by a few industrious locals, like those who built Baton Rouge’s Mardi Gras scene from the ground up decades ago.
Born in Baton Rouge and raised in Southdowns, Dr. William Gladney started the Krewe of Southdowns Flambeaux Parade in 1988 after returning from his medical residency in New Orleans. His goal: Bring a little taste of New Orleans’ Carnival to Baton Rouge.
“The spirit of New Orleans really touched me,” Gladney says.
Today, Southdowns incorporates elements of Crescent City parades, like the flickering torches known as flambeaux. But Gladney says the parade is held the Friday before Fat Tuesday for a reason.
“I would be crushed if I was stuck here on Fat Tuesday knowing Carnival was going on somewhere else,” he admits. “I’d want to be there instead!”
He has his own thoughts on why Mardi Gras Day isn’t as big in Baton Rouge. He feels the city doesn’t have as strong an identity as others when it comes to Carnival. He also attributes New Orleans’ deep Catholic roots to Mardi Gras’ foothold there.
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Still, he thinks the soul of Mardi Gras will continue its journey up the river.
“Carnival is a cultural holiday and at the roots of what Louisiana is,” Gladney says. “It pulls people together. If you’re big, you’re tall, you’re rich, you’re poor, you’re Black or you’re white … it unifies people.”
This article was published in the February 2023 issue of 225 magazine. A version of this story was originally published in 225 Daily in March 2022.