The stage is being prepped for Mardi Gras - one of the largest productions of enthralling fun and entertainment in Shreveport-Bossier.

Starting with the 12th Night Celebration - Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Shreveport Convention Center - until the midnight Texas Street Bridge Closing Ceremony Fat Tuesday, March 8, one of the most highly anticipated parties will rev up into high gear. The celebration typically draws some 400,000 people from around the region to experience the pageantry and ostentatious show of Mardi Gras.

The majestic floats are being painted and trimmed with bright eye catching colors and razzle, dazzle lights for the evening parades of Krewe of Centaur, Saturday, Feb. 26 and Krewe of Gemini, Saturday, March 5. Both parades roll at 4 p.m. starting on the corner of Clyde Fant Parkway in downtown Shreveport and end at the Duck Pond on East Kings Highway.

Purple, gold, green, and multicolor beads are being gathered, stacked and distributed throughout the large floats that carry the masked and outrageously clad krewe members.

"We will toss millions of beads," said Robby Woods, Krewe of Gemini King. "We will have four or five tractor trailer loads of beads for the thousands of people who line the parade routes."

To learn more about Mardi Gras and to book your hotel stay, go here.


Local author explains Second Line - a Mardi Gras tradition

< As Carnival season nears, it seems the air in Shreveport-Bossier is saturated with the aroma of Mardi Gras. Parades, king cakes and festive décor are everywhere you look, and before you know it, beads of vibrant colors are being hurled in every direction. Many Louisiana residents take for granted the rich tradition that is Mardi Gras, and most may not even be aware of the heritage that is the foundation of the celebration.

Robert Trudeau, a local expert on this subject, has written a guide called How to Mardi Gras, a comprehensive 36-page guide to Carnival in Louisiana with 36 illustrations.

"It covers everything from food and costumes to Cajuns and Creoles, and it even touches on global Mardi Gras," said Trudeau. It also brilliantly demonstrates the Second Line Tradition, a group that walks throughout the parade behind a brass band. The guide is great for visitors, those new to the area, people who haven't experienced Louisiana, students, and party planners.

Trudeau who is involved with everything Second Line related in Shreveport-Bossier is the co-founder of the Blanc et Noir Marching Society that marches in the Krewe of Highland Parade. Highland's Parade is March 6 through the historic Shreveport neighborhood.

To learn more about the history of the Second Line tradition or to find out how to get a copy of How to Mardi Gras go here.


Drive-thru daiquiris: a Shreveport-Bossier tradition

Some Shreveport-Bossier Mardi Gras traditions aren't found along the parade route - they're found in a Styrofoam cup with a straw taped to the lid. Inevitably a topic of much discussion among out-of-town guests, the to-go daiquiri is a Shreveport-Bossier institution.

Employing a drive-through lane like that of a fast-food restaurant, many Louisiana liquor stores sell daiquiris and package liquor from a drive-through window. Of course, it's illegal to drink and drive, so don't be surprised when the store employee seals your drink lid with tape. Tony's Liquors located at 6241 Line Avenue in Shreveport is the first name in seasonal daiquiris, having created the extremely popular Eggnog Daiquiri. This Mardi Gras season, they'll be debuting a new creation called the "Swamp Bomb," a concoction devised by staff member Perry Woods, formerly a bartender at a Bourbon Street institution - The Famous Door.

It's clear that their goal is to create a Mardi Gras frozen drink to rival New Orleans favorites like the "Hand Grenade."