Krewe of Centaur Fined by the City of Shreveport

SHREVEPORT, LA

Last year there was a LOT of discussion between various Mardi Gras krewes and Shreveport city officials about renegotiating the parade contracts for the upcoming Mardi Gras Season. Read about how it came together HERE

One of the conditions Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux insisted on was that the parades concluded before dark.  The contracts include a fine system if the parades went past the agreed upon 7PM conclusion time.

KEEL News learned Friday morning that the Krewe of Centaur, who's parade was last Saturday night, has been fined for going past the 7P end time.  KEEL News reached out to Mayor Arceneaux, here's his response:

The contract with the Krewe of Centaur provides for specified penalties for particular breaches of the contract. When the city agreed to the later starting date for 2025, it did so with the specific agreement that the ending time would still be 7:00 p.m. There were very specific discussions about that particular point.

The parade ended at 7:33. The contract provides for a $375 penalty for every 15-minute period or part of a 15-minute period for the ending of the parade, but with a grace period of 15 minutes. Thus, the assessable penalty was $750. The city has decided not to assess any penalty for the three minutes, so it will assess a penalty of $375.

The penalty letter has not been issued yet, but I advised Ricky Bridges, Captain of the Krewe of Centaur, that it would be issued. My expectation is that the Krewe will pay the penalty.

The contract for the Krewe of Gemini has the same provisions.

Tom Arceneaux

Mayor
City of Shreveport
505 Travis Street Suite 200 Shreveport, LA 71101
t 318.673.5050 | f 318.673.5090

Krewe of Gemini is set to roll this Saturday at 3:30.  We'll see if they get finished by 7