Shreveport-Bossier has kicked-off the 2023 Mardi Gras season with events scheduled through Feb. 21, 2023. From family-friendly parades and entertainment to balls and parties, visitors and residents alike will find a variety of Mardi Gras fun to experience.
“We absolutely love sharing this time of year with our guests and encourage everyone to make travel plans now, booking hotel rooms, reserving a spot at a favorite restaurant and getting the perfect costume pulled together,” said Stacy Brown, president of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau (SBCTB). “Activities include numerous parades, formal events, food and wine tastings and athletic events.”
Events include:
African American History Parade
Sat., Feb. 4, 2023; Shreveport Municipal Auditorium; 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Krewe of Centaur Parade
Sat., Feb. 11, 2023; Clyde Fant Pkwy., Shreveport; 3 p.m.
Krewe of Barkus and Meoux Parade
Sun., Feb. 12, 2023; Louisiana State Fairgrounds
Krewe of Gemini Parade
Sat., Feb. 18, 2023; Clyde Fant Pkwy., Shreveport; 3 p.m.
Krewe of Highland Parade
Sun., Feb. 19, 2023; Highland Neighborhood, Shreveport; 1 p.m.
Mardi Gras 2023
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
For more information about the parades and other Mardi Gras events, visit http://shreveportmardigras.com/.
A Little Mardi Gras History
Mardi Gras is steeped in history. From Rome, Mardi Gras moved across Europe to countries like France, Germany, Spain and England. As a result, Mardi Gras’ excess and revelry became a premonition of Lent’s 40 days of fasting and penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. French-Canadian adventurer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville named the area “Pointe du Mardi Gras” after settling there 60 miles south of New Orleans. Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville celebrated the first Mardi Gras with his soldiers in America.
By the 1730s, Mardi Gras was openly celebrated in Louisiana, though without today’s parades. The Marquis de Vaudreuil, the governor of Louisiana at the beginning of the 18th century, hosted elegant social gatherings that became the model for current Mardi Gras celebrations.
Shreveport-Bossier City has embraced influences from around the world, combining them to create their own unique flavors. A culinary paradise with origins in the French, Spanish, African, Sicilian, Caribbean, Irish, German and American Indian cultures can be found in its restaurants. The melting pot of cultures infuses the rich attractions, events and culinary experience Shreveport-Bossier City offers.
The Mardi Gras season is the perfect time to try our local flavors, enjoy events and recoup in one of our many hotels.
Happy Mardi Gras y’all!