01/12/2025
Mardi Gras belongs to the people of Lafayette — not to politicians and elected officials.
For more than nine decades, Lafayette’s Mardi Gras has stood as one of our community’s greatest cultural achievements — safe, family-friendly, volunteer-driven, and admired across Louisiana.
It is a celebration built not by government decree, but by the dedication, creativity, and investment of private krewes, volunteers, and organizations who have poured their time, resources, and hearts into making Mardi Gras what it is today.
A proposed ordinance, CO-138-2025, now threatens that legacy.
Although publicly framed as a response to parade-route concerns, the ordinance’s true effect goes far beyond Jefferson street route. It represents a significant and unnecessary expansion of City Council power into the management of Mardi Gras — a celebration that has thrived precisely because it has remained non-political, community-run, and privately supported.
What the Ordinance Would Do:
The ordinance, authored by Council Members Andy Naquin and Kenneth Boudreaux, would:
Expand the Mardi Gras Advisory Committee to include neighborhood representatives selected from political districts — placing new political voices into a process already handled effectively by long-standing Mardi Gras organizations.
Require City Council approval for all permits and operational decisions, including:
parade routes
parade start times
event changes
the Cajun Field carnival
future modifications and approvals
This would give the Council full control over Mardi Gras operations — authority no City Council has ever held.
Why This Is Harmful to Lafayette
Lafayette’s Mardi Gras is not broken, and it does not need to be “fixed” by politicians. It has been built and sustained by:
Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association (GSW)
20+ active krewes
Lafayette Mardi Gras Festival Association (LMGFA)
Thousands of volunteers over nearly a century
Millions in private investment annually
This volunteer infrastructure has produced:
The safest Mardi Gras in Louisiana
The most family-friendly celebration in the state
A $150+ million annual economic impact
A tradition that unifies — not divides — our community
City government cannot recreate this. But it can damage it.
As numerous longtime volunteers have stated:
“Those proposing these changes have absolutely no understanding of how Mardi Gras is organized and executed.”
“This is a political power grab. The government could not rebuild what volunteers created — but it can undermine it over time.”
These are just a few of the comments I have pulled from facebook and conversations.
This ordinance replaces decades of operational expertise with political oversight. It substitutes City Council opinions for the judgment of LPD, public safety teams, krewes, and organizers who have actually run Mardi Gras.
This Is Not About Public Safety or Parade Routes
Behind the public messaging, this ordinance is part of a political struggle between the City Council and the Mayor which in the history of our city routinely occurs after changes in administrations. That is to be expected.
Mardi Gras — one of the few truly non-political, community-wide traditions — is being used as collateral damage.
Even if amendments are proposed, the core problem remains:
A flawed idea with amendments is still a flawed idea.
The City Council is asserting it can run Mardi Gras better than the people who have done it successfully for 90 years.
A Slow Decline Is Still a Decline
If passed, Mardi Gras will not collapse immediately — but it will begin a slow deterioration:
Fewer volunteers
Reduced private investment
Bureaucracy replacing tradition
Political disputes over future route changes
Decline in krewe participation
Long-term erosion of culture and economic impact
This ordinance is not just unnecessary — it is dangerous to the very heart of Lafayette’s Mardi Gras.
This is my request for Action from you and everyone that loves our Mardi Gras.....
All residents who care about preserving Lafayette’s Mardi Gras should act:
Attend the City Council Meeting:
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 — 5:30 PM
705 W. University Avenue
Fill out a card or speak in opposition.
Contact your Council Members and say:
“I oppose the proposed Mardi Gras ordinance (CO-138-2025). Leave Mardi Gras — and all private events — alone.”
Contact information:
Elroy Broussard: (337) 291-5101 — [email protected]
Andy Naquin: (337) 291-5102 — [email protected]
Liz Hebert: (337) 291-5103 — [email protected]
Thomas Hooks: (337) 291-5104 — [email protected]
Kenneth Boudreaux: (337) 291-5105 — [email protected]
City Council Clerk: (337) 291-8800 — [email protected]
Final Message
Mardi Gras belongs to the people of Lafayette — not to politicians and elected officials.
It has united us for generations.
It should remain independent, volunteer-driven, and non-political.
Let’s protect what 90 years of volunteers have built.
