2020 Mardi Gras Parade Guide

February 01, 2020 by Jonathan Brannan

One of the best ways to celebrate Mardi Gras is a parade. And parade we will in Coastal Mississippi! Every community down here knows how to party and they’re all sending invitations your way. The parades on The Secret Coast are family friendly and are always a great time. Now, all you have to do is know where to go, when to go, and what to bring. But first, you really need to get familiar with the terminology. Here’s a handy glossary that may help you get started:

Duke (n) - One of the male members of the royal court at Mardi Gras events.
Float (n) - A decorated party on wheels that rolls in a Mardi Gras Parade.
Grand Marshal (n) - A guest of honor of a Krewe or Carnival Assocation. The Grand Marshal generally rides in his or her own float in a parade.
King (n) - Mardi Gras royalty who is generally selected from the Krewe. Some parades feature the King on his own float.
Krewe (n) - A Mardi Gras organization that hosts parties, balls, and sometimes their own parades. If a krewe isn’t hosting its own parade, it will generally roll in other parades.
“Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler” (phrase) - A great way to get everybody pumped up at the parade. It means “Let the Good Times Roll” in French.
Maid (n) - One of the female members of the royal court at Mardi Gras events.
Queen (n) - Mardi Gras royalty who is generally selected from the Krewe. Some parades feature the Queen on her own float.
Throw (n) - Anything that can be tossed off of a float. This could be beads, which is the most popular item, or it could be plastic cups, miniature footballs, doubloons, moonpies, even something as wacky as a loaf of bread. Get ready to catch, and bring a bag to haul it away in.
“Throw Me Somethin’ Mister” (phrase) - This phrase is used to get the float riders attention so that they can toss one (or many) of the throws your way.

We’ve got a full schedule of Mardi Gras parades for weeks leading up to the big day that you won’t want to miss. Browse our list below and check out the maps of each route so that you can get positioned to catch as many throws as you can.