Centaur Parade Information + All Things Mardi Gras Weekend of January 29-31

We're less than two short weeks away from Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras season is heating up in the Ark-La-Tex. With that said, revelers have plenty of activities to choose from this weekend!

Festivities kick off this Friday with two events for you to choose from. If you want to get dressed up and show off your finery, the Krewe des Ambassadeurs Grand Bal is the place to be! Fasching XV will take place in the Magnolia Ballroom at Sam's Town Casino and on a personal note, I can tell you that they always have incredible silent auction items! Doors open at 6:00pm for the event with tableau rolling at 8:00pm. Party goers can expect hor d'oeuvres and live music.

The second event taking place this Friday is the Krewe of Centaur float loading party in front of their big 25th year parade Saturday! The party goes from 5:30pm - 9:00pm at the Krewe of Centaur Den on Aero Drive right off of North Market, just north of downtown Shreveport and is free and open to the public. If you have kids, this is a great chance for them to get up close and check out the floats and it's also a great time to pick up some really fancy specialty beads. Come hungry, because there will plenty of food on hand, plus the bead room will be open for business and there will be music for dancing as well.

On Saturday, the Mighty Krewe of Centaur celebrates 25 years with their parade which will start rolling at 4:30pm. This year's proud sponsor of the parade is Dale's Paving in Bossier City. Please note that there are four areas designated as 'no throw' zones where float riders cannot throw ANYTHING from their float. Also keep in mind that float riders are also not allowed to throw while the float is stopped. These rules are for safety reasons, not to limit your bead haul! The 'no throw' zones are as follows:

(1) prior to the PARADE START sign at Fant Parkway and Lake Street
(2) Stoner Avenue Bridge on Fant Parkway
(3) the ramp from Fant Parkway onto Shreveport-Barksdale Highway
(4) The corner of Shreveport-Barksdale and East Kings Highway where the construction is.

After Centaur, don't think the party is over because it most certainly will continue Sunday from 12:00pm till 3:00pm with the Krewe of Barkus and Meoux. Both the Animal Royalty and the Krewe Royalty Ambassadors will be on hand for the event at the former location of Reeves Marine next to the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City. Feel free to come hang with us as myself and Erin McCarty host the parade and join us as we take full advantage of the food trucks and vendors on site! Tons of parking is available on the south side of the CenturyLink center so make plans to play with us and bring your fur baby as well!