Mardi Gras Activities 2024

Parade Routes, Command Center Locations, Do's and Don't's

Mardi Gras Mask Making Workshop Scheduled

Update: The KPC Parade scheduled for Saturday, February 3, 2024, has been cancelled due to the threat of inclement weather.

Update: The Mardi Gras Mask Making Workshop on Saturday, February 3, 2024, will be held inside of Historic City Hall (1001 Ryan Street) in the Third-Floor Gallery Space.

City of Lake Charles Announces Third Annual Children's Mardi Gras Stroll 

Letter to Business Owners Along the Mardi Gras Parade Route

City of Lake Charles Announces Barricade Placement and Road Closures Ahead of the Mardi Gras Holiday

 

As Mardi Gras approaches, the City of Lake Charles reminds businesses, residents and motorists that Public Works personnel, along with local law enforcement agencies, will be placing barricades along the Ryan Street parade route, beginning Thursday, February 8, 2024.

 

Ordinance 16489 prohibits street parking during a special event or a parade route in accordance with a designated special event traffic plan. Signs will be posted identifying these “no parking” areas. An unoccupied vehicle in violation may be removed or impounded and the owner and/or operator subject to a citation and fines.

 

Starting in the downtown area at 8 am on Thursday, February 8, barricades will be placed, closing the on-street parking stalls along Ryan Street from Pryce to Clarence Streets. Street parking in this area will not be allowed from Thursday, February 8, through Tuesday, February 13, following the conclusion of the Krewe of Krewes Parade.

 

New for 2024, City Public Works crews and local law enforcement agencies will place traffic barricades along the Ryan Street parade route from Clarence Street south to Sale Road on Friday, February 9; beginning at approximately 5:00 a.m. Motorists traveling the roadway at this time should use extreme caution, as crews will be placing barricades in the roadway.

 

Once barricades are placed, traffic along Ryan Street will be restricted to one lane of traffic in each direction in most areas along the route from Friday, February 9 through the conclusion of the Krewe of Krewes Parade on Tuesday, February 13.

 

Ryan Street will remain open to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and businesses along the route will continue to have access to their locations when parades are not rolling. The route will be completely shut down to all traffic approximately 30 minutes to one hour before each parade begins.

                               

Motorists should expect slower moving traffic and heavy pedestrian traffic along Ryan Street from Friday, February 9 through Tuesday, February 13. 

 

 

The Merchants’ (Friday, February 9), Children’s (Sunday, February 11) and Krewe of Krewes (Tuesday, February 13) Parades will all depart Bord du Lac Drive and head north on Lakeshore Drive before turning east onto Pine Street and then continuing south down Ryan Street to Sale Road. Bord du Lac Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic during the parades and their respective line-ups.

 

On Tuesday, February 13, the City of Lake Charles will observe the Mardi Gras Holiday.  Several events, including the Krewe of Krewes Parade, will be held in the City. The following is an overview of activities planned for the day:

                               

  • Second Line Stroll Walking Parade – 1 p.m.
  • Jeeps on Parade – 2:30 p.m.
  • Motor Gras – 3 p.m.
  • Krewe of Krewes Parade – 5 p.m.

The Second Line Stroll will begin at Pine and Ryan Streets and travel south down Ryan Street to Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive. Jeeps on Parade and the Motor Gras Parade will begin at Pine and Ryan Streets and travel south down Ryan Street to Sale Road. Bord du Lac Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic during the parades.

                      

On Tuesday, February 13, approximately one hour before the Second Line Stroll Walking Parade, Ryan Street, between Pine and Sallier Streets, will be closed and will remain closed to vehicular traffic until after the Krewe of Krewes parade is concluded.

 

Other weekend parades and events are scheduled. Parade details, along with a full list of events, are available at www.mardigrasswla.com.

                                                                                              

Local law enforcement agencies will be on hand to control traffic and crowd issues and to assist parade-goers throughout the weekend and holiday events. Local law enforcement agencies will have a number of command centers set up along the route. Should the public need assistance, law enforcement officials will be stationed at intersections along the route as well.

 

Street vendors must have the proper occupational permits to serve the public, which must be obtained from the Occupational Licenses Office. Vendors will not be allowed along the parade route from the Lake Charles Event Center to Clarence Street. Law enforcement agencies will check for appropriate permits. Vendors stationed north of 18th Street to Clarence Street must relocate off the parade route once the parade begins. Vendors stationed south of 18th Street to Sale Road must relocate off the parade route 30 minutes after the parade begins.

 

Cardboard trash receptacles with plastic liners are available to property owners along the parade route, while supplies last. Receptacles can be picked up on the first floor of City Hall (326 Pujo St.) and should be placed within the public right of way along the Ryan street route during the Mardi Gras parades. City Solid Waste personnel will remove the receptacles on Wednesday, February 14, beginning at 7 a.m.

 

Port-a-Cans, for public use, will be placed at the Lake Charles Event Center and Lock Park.

 

Immediately following the Krewe of Krewes Parade, Ryan Street, between Pine Street and Sale Road., will remain closed to all traffic so that City Public Works crews can remove barricades, pick up litter and sweep the streets. Law enforcement officers will divert traffic from this section of Ryan Street, which is expected to remain closed for approximately two hours after the Merchants’, Children’s and Krewe of Krewes Parades.

 

To better assist motorists with egress from the parade route, law enforcement officials will divert traffic away from Ryan Street with traffic direction at major intersections off the route. Motorists are asked to exercise patience when exiting the parade route.