SHOWCASING LOUISIANA: Mardi Gras only gets bigger as more parades develop

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - One of the best things about Louisiana is Mardi Gras. Some see the parades as a final hoo-rah before Lent, and others see it as another chance to celebrate one another.

"We can do crazy things, we can dress up silly, we can do the things we all do like eating and drinking and just getting together - together as a community, as a family. We embrace it. We love it. We look for those occasions,” said Terri Singleton, Mid City Gras Parade Coordinator.

Mid City Gras Inc., located in Baton Rouge, is one of many groups spreading Mardi Gras celebrations across the state. This is the organization’s third year to hold the parade.

Singleton says it just gets bigger and better.

“We were looking for a way to bring it into our part of town, so we decided that the thing to do was to get together and just create a parade that would roll through our part of town. We were not sure the first year if anyone would come up to see us and they did and they were so excited and they told their friends, and last year we had about double the numbers and our entries grew, and this year we have even more entries and I hear about it everywhere,” said Singleton.

Like most parades during Mardi Gras, Mid City Gras brings out the fun, and often unique sides of parade-goers.

“They promote all of the fun and livelihood and happiness of the Mid-City community through Mardi Gras,” said Rodneyna Hart, Mid City Gras’ 2020 Grand Marshal.

Hart, currently serving as the Division Director for the Louisiana State Museum, says she did not grow up celebrating Mardi Gras. She says she later gravitated towards groups like Mid City Gras and their parades because of the rich culture and sense of inclusion they represent.

“We’re celebrating our city and our arts and our creativity and our community, and it’s just an amazing excuse to get together and hang out and spend time together,” said Hart.

“It’s really exciting that something we just started a couple of years ago, and people are already looking forward to it,” said Singleton.

No matter where you come from or what you believe, there is certainly something special for everyone during Mardi Gras.

READ MORE: Baton Rouge and Acadiana parade schedule

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