Mardi Gras 2026: Spanish Town Parade
My sister and niece made the move from Oklahoma to Louisiana a little over 10 years ago but it’s only been within the last 5-6 years that I’ve been able to make regular visits to their new world. I instantly fell in love with the culture and how much life there is in every event. A few years ago, I told my sister that I was wanting to finally experience Mardi Gras the Louisiana way (sorry Tulsa, your parade is just not the same.)
Though I’m someone who spends most of their free time in a crowd at a concert, I tend to have social anxiety when it comes to a crowd in…well…really any other public place. So the more I was looking into the festivities on Bourbon Street, the more I started to realize that New Orleans may not be the scene for me. Then my sister told me about the Spanish Town parade in Baton Rouge.
If the crowd situation wasn’t enough to win me over, one other word sealed the deal: pink.
This may be surprising, but instead of the traditional purple, green, and gold that you see with Mardi Gras, in this parade you will see an overload of pink. The theme for the parade changes every year, however the mascot remains the same - flamingos. Don’t be surprised if you see giant ones decorating the neighborhood leading up to the parade. They say that it represents the saying "poor taste is better than no taste at all,” which feels very Dolly coded to me and that is right up my alley.
This year was my third year to attend and each time has been in a different section which has given different experiences. My first year was towards the tail end of the parade which does make for a longer day and does come with the disadvantage of very limited bathroom access, but we did get to join the crowd in following behind some of the floats in the street as they were closing down. When in Rome, eh? My second year, we were at a house on Spanish Town Road which is obviously the origination of the parade. With it being the OG party spot, the energy is EXTRA high here. All of the houses are decorated, the streets are full, people are cooking out, lawns are scattered with chairs and blankets, music is blasting, and people are everywhere. The AirBnBs in this area look to be pretty scarce, so if you find one open - JUMP on it! This was my favorite spot of the 3. The location we were at this year was actually just down the street from Spanish Town Road, just in front of the Capitol Building - which is actually the very start of the parade. This was a great spot also with the energy but also accessibility. With it being the very start, we were able to head out fairly early and beat the post-parade traffic.
From a personal note, it’s also just been a great experience in building memories with my family. It’s become one of my favorite annual traditions because I get to spend quality time with my sister, niece and brother-in-law. Watching my niece at the parade every year is one of the purest forms of joy you could experience. She is already a very confident person, but seeing her there I know that she’s born to be a part of the Louisiana culture. She dances and cheers her little heart out, and if you couldn’t tell by the smiles on their faces, you would tell how much the Krewes love her by the amount of goodies we have to waddle back to the car.
Another great thing about this parade is it’s typically around noon on the Saturday before Mardi Gras, so you still have plenty of day to sightsee, make your way to New Orleans for the more traditional experience, or, if you’re anything like me, to sleep off those daytime drive-thru daiquiris. So if you are looking for a Mardi Gras experience without the Mardi Gras smell (IYKYK) then I highly suggest you “pink” about adding a detour to Baton Rouge for the Spanish Town Parade next year!
