This weekend, thousands will flock downtown for the Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade. Expect a sea of pink flamingos, tons of mischief and a few risque moments as the krewes roll this Saturday, March 1.
Starting at noon, a collection of marching groups and around 75 floats will travel along Spanish Town Road. Things wrap up at the route’s end on River Road, but don’t worry. Neighboring bars and businesses are prepped to keep the party going all day.
“It looks like we’re gonna have good weather,” says Robert King, president of the Society for the Preservation of Lagniappe in Louisiana (SPLL). “When we have good weather, we have huge crowds. The parade route is approximately 2 miles long, so we spread them out pretty good, and it’s always enjoyable.”
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This year’s theme, “In Smiley Town, Smiley Says…,” honors the late Smiley Anders, who was a Spanish Town resident and longtime columnist for The Advocate. King says that Anders was a friend of the parade, even serving as its king in 1984.
“He always worked with us, and he would put the winners of the float awards in the paper on Monday morning,” King says about Anders. “Everybody would race to go get their newspaper to see who won what award out of curiosity. … Some people say, ‘Well, that’s not a theme.’ And we’re like, ‘Well, you’re not a Spanish Town person.’ (The theme) leaves you wide open to come up with ‘What would Smiley say?’”
In the morning, the hand-decorated floats line up bright and early near the Capitol. King says that’s where judges stroll by to get a good look at them before they take off. In true Spanish Town form, krewe members offer the judges bribes like big throws, Jell-O shots and bathroom access. Once the parade starts, the judges move to a prime spot at the middle of the route to watch them in action before determining category winners.
“Each judge will have a minion, we call it,” King says. “Don’t know how we came up with that. But the minion will pull a wagon and whatever (the judge) gets bribed with, the minion will keep it for them to look at.”
King, who has served as both a judge and a king for the parade, says that the judges come up with a slew of categories, though five remain the same each year like “best float” and “worst float.”
“The best one you can get is ‘worst float,’” King says. “Because if you get ‘best float,’ it means you have the worst one. … Whatever the judges decide, we’ll make a trophy for it. We give out about 15 trophies.”
Between the award-worthy, packed vehicles, there will be bands and dancing troupes, too, like the Baton Rouge BeignYays, The Golden Guys and, of course, The Flamingeauxs. The parade will be led by the U.S. Army Marching Band from Shreveport. And though it won’t happen this year, King says the SPLL is working on securing a flyover for a future parade.
For those prepping their pink outfits and preparing to go parading on Saturday, King encourages heading to the route a little early. During that time, paradegoers can get set up and even check out the floats where they line up for the judges. King says one of the best spots is near the historic Spanish Town Market & Cofe, which has been seeking food vendors for the day via its Instagram. By then, he says, the craziness of takeoff begins to level out.
No matter where you stand on parade day, just make sure to emulate the Spanish Town flamingo mascot: Stand tall, stand out and don’t forget to flamingle with the crowd.
The Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade will roll at noon starting on Spanish Town Road and ending on River Road. Here’s the official parade map. Be sure to check for road closures in the morning. For more information, find the parade on Facebook.
More parade day events
Violet Nightclub’s Flamingos Trap Rave
214 Third St., Suite 1A
Saturday, March 1, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
This event is for those ages 21 and up. Tickets start at $10. Find more information here.
City Club’s Annual Spanish Town Parade Block Party
355 North Blvd.
Saturday, March 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tickets start at $55 for those 21 and up and $18 for those ages 6-20. Children 5 and under get in for free. Find more information here.
Friends of the Capitol Park Museum’s 11th Annual Spanish Town Parade Party
660 N. Fourth St.
Saturday, March 1, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Friends of the Capitol Park Museum members get general admission tickets for free and VIP entry for $20. Non-members range from $5-$35, based on age. Find more information here.
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Spanish Town After Party at The Basin Music Hall
336 Third St.
Saturday, March 1, immediately following the parade
Find more information and the lineup here.