Southwest Louisiana's Vibrant Mardi Gras: Your Ultimate Guide

Who says the winter months have to be dull? In Louisiana, it’s Mardi Gras! And while New Orleans gets plenty of deserved love during Mardi Gras, Southwest Louisiana has plenty of feathers, fabulous frocks, and the traditional fais-do-do of Mardi Gras. This year, skip the city without missing any of the fun by exploring all the vibrant Mardi Gras activities happening in and around Lake Charles, where Cajun flair meets Texas swagger. In Lake Charles, Mardi Gras happens unlike anywhere else. Conveniently located off Interstate 10 halfway between Houston and Baton Rouge, Lake Charles is known for its colorful blend of Cajun/Creole culture, luxury resorts, abundance of wildlife and waterways, and some of the best food in the south! This year Mardi Gras takes place from January 6th through February 13th, 2024. The season is filled with parades, gumbo cookoffs, chicken runs, lit-up boats, live music and plenty of King Cake! Mark your calendars and get into the spirit! Here are some highlights from this year’s Lake Charles Mardi Gras celebration. For a full list of events and resources like the Ultimate Southwest Louisiana King Cake Guide or culinary and activity insights from Lake Charles’ podcast Louisiana’s Playground, visit the Lake Charles Mardi Gras hub.

Lake Charles Mardi Gras Parade

Sunday, February 4, 2024 @ 12:45 pm FREE The initial parade of the Mardi Gras season begins at the Lake Charles Event Center and travels through downtown and north Lake Charles. In Lake Charles, parade riders are not limited to traditional floats. Even ATVs and horses are decked in green, purple, and gold!

Friday, February 9, 2024 @ 7 pm FREE The Mardi Gras Merchants Parade is a glowing night parade where the entire community – residents and visitors alike – marvel as an array of local businesses and social organizations take to the streets on Mardi Gras floats. The route travels from the Lake Charles Event Center down Pine Street to Ryan Street, ending at Sale Road.

Mardi Gras Merchants Parade

Saturday, February 10, 2024 @ 11 am FREE Kid’s 3-12 who want to participate in the joy of Mardi Gras have their own special stroll. Wildly popular in 2022, the City of Lake Charles’ 2024 Children’s Mardi Gras Stroll returns as a walkable event featuring the festive colors of the season and a live marching band. Registration and line-up will begin at 10:15 a.m. at LCB’s Cougar Stadium Parking Lot (1175 1st Ave.) and will depart the staging area at 11 a.m.

Children’s Mardi Gras Stroll

Saturday, February 10, 2024 @ 2 pm FREE Founded in 1970 as a social good, the Krewe of Omega comprised of members and families of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity was formed to bring Mardi Gras activities to the Black community of Southwest Louisiana as well as bridging the gap between cultures. To this day, it is the only Southwest Louisiana krewe to hold its own parade. The parade begins on the north side of the Lake Charles Event Center and travels through downtown Lake Charles.

Krewe of Omega Parade

With so much going on this festive season, don’t forget the simple pleasures of Mardi Gras, like delicious food and beverage variations of king cake at Misse’s Grocery, Paradise Daiquiris, or Lulu’s Specialty Snocones and More. For a more savory treat, explore the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail with 25 stops at local restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores across Calcasieu Parish where the cherished Louisiana handheld delight is sure to excite tastebuds and satisfy appetites. For more information, check out swlamardigras.org.

Thursday, February 8, 2024 @ 7 pm FREE In Lake Charles, Mardi Gras parades are not confined to the streets. On the placid waters of the Lake Area, lighted boats adorned with Mardi Gras decorations delight spectators with a dazzling display of Mardi Gras spirit at this annual tradition!

Mardi Gras Lighted Boat Parade

Saturday, February 10, 2024 @ 8 am - 2 pm Admission is $10. Children 5 & under FREE Always a must-attend event, the 2024 Mardi Gras Gumbo Cookoff held at the Lake Charles Event Center, features amateur and professional teams preparing and serving hundreds of gallons of rich, flavorful gumbo. Taste every steaming, delectable pot of gumbo you can, from chicken and sausage to seafood or wild game, at the hottest contest on Mardi Gras weekend! In addition to award-winning food, this event features floor-stomping music and the down-home spirit of Mardi Gras.

World Famous Cajun Extravaganza and Gumbo Cookoff

Saturday, February 10, 2024 @ 1 pm FREE to attend - $10 cash for dog entries (Registration begins at 11:30 AM) A Lake Charles Mardi Gras Bucket List favorite, the Krewe of Barkus Parade is the yearly carnivalesque extravaganza celebrating our furry parade-goers. Enjoy costumed pets of all shapes and sizes as they strut their stuff down Broad Street. See who wins this year’s title of "Mystical Dog", given to the most strikingly costumed participant.

Krewe of Barkus Parade

Sunday, February 11, 2024 @ 10 am - 12 pm & 1 pm - 3 pm FREE Mardi Gras Children’s Day is a chance for our youngest revelers to get into the spirit with a parade designed with kids in mind, but don’t worry there’s plenty of fun for adults, too – all finishing in time for Superbowl Sunday! As one of the longest and most well-attended parades leading up to Mardi Gras Day, children of Mardi Gras Krewe members, kids' organizations, families, and businesses gather along Ryan Street for a joyous – and adorable – good time.

Mardi Gras Children’s Day and Children’s Day Parade

By StoryStudio on January 4, 2024

Mardi Gras isn’t a one-day affair—it’s a seasonal celebration! In Lake Charles, there’s no shortage of dynamic, festive parades leading up to Fat Tuesday! With over 60 Krewes participating, as well as classic cars, jeeps, and four-legged friends, Southwest Louisiana ensures Mardi Gras is a celebration that welcomes all!

What to Do this Mardi Gras in Lake Charles

Monday, February 12, 2024 @ 7 pm The Royal Gala, Mardi Gras’ annual Cinderella moment, features the presentation of 2024's royal courts before the second largest Mardi Gras gathering in Louisiana. The Lake Charles Event Center is transformed into a lavish promenade of krewes’ royalty in extravagant, glittering costumes before thousands of residents and visitors. Kings and queens, royal dukes and duchesses, captains, courtesans, and jesters in museum-quality costumes will be on full display, complete with music and dancing for everyone.

Mardi Gras Royal Gala

Fat Tuesday, February 13, 2024 @ 10 am (Doors open at 8 am) $15 at the door for adults and $10 for kids Another Lake Charles bucket list entry, chasing a chicken at the Iowa Chicken Run is old-fashioned fun. The tradition – which includes a series of floats traveling through the Iowa neighborhoods, a small town about 20 minutes outside of Lake Charles – is by far the quirkiest Mardi Gras parade in Southwest Louisiana. Join the crowd for Zydeco music and the ingredient-by-ingredient assembly of a pot of gumbo, followed by children of all ages chasing a live chicken.

Iowa Chicken Run

Fat Tuesday, February 13, 2024 @ 11:30 am FREE The Zone is celebrating its 15th year as a family-oriented, alcohol and tobacco-free area for kids, parents, and teens to enjoy the Mardi Gras festivities. Presented by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s, Office of Juvenile Justice Services, the Zone features several kid-friendly games and activities, including a live DJ, Bayou Games activity truck, laser tag, a bounce house, a train ride, and an activity tent. Bring your appetite for hot dogs, popcorn, snow cones, and drinks for the kids to enjoy.

Mardi Gras in the Zone

Fat Tuesday, February 13, 2024 @ 1 pm FREE The Cajun/Creole heritage is rooted in unity, expressed best when it’s time to party. A Second Line Parade is one of the most prized examples of this expression. Here, dancing is inevitable! As the parade is filled with jubilant live music and the purple, green, and gold of Mardi Gras winds through downtown Lake Charles, don’t be surprised if your neighbor reaches for your hand to dance. Experience an intoxicating sense of belonging unique to Southwest Louisiana at the Lake Charles Second Line Stoll.

Second Line Stroll

Fat Tuesday, February 13, 2024 @ 2:30 pm FREE Parades are made of people and floats, right? Not always! In Lake Charles, jeep lovers unite to roll down Ryan Street in this jammin' jeep parade. Presented by Seven Slots Society, see the most colorful, deck-out Mardi Gras vehicles around at this one-of-a-kind event.

Jeeps on Parade

Fat Tuesday, February 13, 2024 @ 3 pm FREE We can’t let Jeep owners have all the fun! The Mardi Gras Motor Gras showcases hot rods, classics, and motorcycles in the biggest auto spectacle of the season. It’s a can’t-miss for car enthusiasts everywhere.

Motor Gras Parade

Fat Tuesday, February 13, 2024 @ 5 pm FREE The most anticipated moment of Mardi Gras in Lake Charles is also the culmination of the entire celebration: The Mardi Gras Southwest Krewe of Krewes Parade. This is the time to cut loose and get gaudy! Across four miles of Lake Charles streets, more than 100 elaborate krewe floats in a kaleidoscope of colors parade their way through the cheering crowds. Costumed float riders toss thousands of beads, cups, doubloons, and other fun items to anyone yelling. “Throw me something mister!” The atmosphere is nothing short of electric. Get to Ryan Street early, claim your spot and tailgate with friends all day. This is not to be missed.

Mardi Gras Southwest Krewe of Krewes Parade

What to Do this Mardi Gras in Lake Charles

Learn More