St. Tammany Parish Louisiana Mardi Gras Festival
Carnival in Saint Tammany Parish does not gather in one square on one weekend, and anyone who arrives looking for a single fenced festival ground will spend the day looking in the wrong place. What the parish actually offers is a season of krewe parades that rolls from town to town across more than five weeks, opening in Mandeville and Covington in early January and closing on Mardi Gras Day in Covington in the middle of February. More than twenty krewe parades make up the season, and each one belongs to its own krewe, with its own floats, its own route and its own traditions. There is no single event printed under the sheet title, and the honest way to describe the occasion is as a parish-wide Carnival season rather than as one festival. The parades are free to watch, the towns are close together, and the calendar is long enough to fit a first visit around almost any free weekend.
About
The season belongs to the whole of Saint Tammany Parish, a stretch of Louisiana’s north shore that holds nine parade towns: Slidell, Covington, Mandeville, Pearl River, Abita Springs, Madisonville, Lacombe, Bush and Folsom. Covington is the parish seat, and it anchors the season with several of its best-known parades, but the calendar spreads the action widely, so no single town carries the whole occasion. Each krewe organises its own parade, and there is no single organiser behind the season, which is why the experience changes so much from one weekend to the next. A parade by foot in one town feels nothing like a boat parade on the river in another, and a canine parade with costumed dogs feels nothing like a night parade of lighted floats. Some krewes are decades old, with royalty and traditions that reach back to the middle of the last century, while others are newer groups that have carved out a place on the calendar in recent years. The parish tourism layer lists the season as a single run of named krewe parades, and the regional magazine layer describes the same spread of towns and dates.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
| Sheet title | St. Tammany Parish Louisiana Mardi Gras Festival |
| What it is | A parish-wide Carnival season of more than twenty krewe parades |
| Host area | Slidell, Covington, Mandeville, Pearl River, Abita Springs, Madisonville, Lacombe, Bush and Folsom |
| Parish seat | Covington |
| Season span | Early January to Mardi Gras Day in mid-February |
| Documented season | Two thousand and twenty-six parade schedule |
| Organiser | No single organiser; each krewe organises its own parade |
| Admission | Parades are free to watch |
| Signature moments | Boat parade in Madisonville, canine parades, Mardi Gras Day in Covington |
| Fence-outs | New Orleans Carnival and Jefferson Parish Family Gras are different events |
History
The season has no single founding year, because there is no single festival to found, and the history that matters belongs to the krewes themselves. The oldest of them in Covington is the Mystic Krewe of Covington, founded in nineteen fifty-one and described in a regional magazine layer as the city’s oldest krewe. The Mystic Krewe of Olympia, also of Covington, holds the title of the oldest parade in Saint Tammany, a distinction the regional magazine layer records without attaching it to a single founding date. The Krewe of Eve, which parades in Mandeville, marks its fortieth anniversary in the two thousand and twenty-six season, with seven hundred and seventy-five members riding thirty-three floats under the theme “40 Fabulous”. The canine tradition has its own history too. The Krewe of Mardi Paws paraded in Olde Mandeville for almost twenty-five years before moving to downtown Covington in two thousand and twenty, a move the regional news layer records as a change of home rather than a change of spirit. Each krewe keeps its own records, its own royalty and its own customs, and the season is the sum of those separate histories rather than the story of one organisation.
What to Expect
A parade day in Saint Tammany Parish begins with the town itself. Streets close along the route, neighbours claim their spots with folding chairs, and vendors set up near the kerbs. The first thing a visitor notices is the variety of the processions. Some parades roll on floats, with riders tossing beads, cups and trinkets to the crowds, while others move by foot, by car, or by lawnmower, each form carrying its own humour and pace. The boat parade in Madisonville is the most distinctive of all, with decorated boats moving along the water instead of floats moving along a street, and it draws spectators to the riverfront for a spectacle that no other town in the parish can offer. The canine parades bring a different kind of delight, as Mardi Paws in Covington and Krewe du Pooch on the Mandeville lakefront send costumed dogs past crowds that have come as much for the animals as for the beads. The Mande Kings Day Parade and Festival in Mandeville opens the season with a celebration that continues after the parade itself, with an after-party at the Mandeville Trailhead that is free to attend. At the other end of the calendar, Mardi Gras Day in Covington gathers the season’s oldest krewe and its neighbours for a closing day that feels like the parish’s own farewell to Carnival.
Planning Your Visit
Choose your weekend from the dated two thousand and twenty-six schedule and build the trip around the town that hosts it. The season opens on Saturday the tenth of January, when the Mande Kings Day Parade and Festival rolls in Mandeville and the Fools of Misrule parade in Covington, so an early visit can take in two parades in two towns on a single day. Friday the thirtieth of January brings the Mystic Krewe of Titans to Slidell, and Friday the sixth of February brings the Krewe of Eve to Mandeville for its fortieth anniversary. Saturday the seventh of February offers the Krewe of Tchefuncte boat parade in Madisonville and the Mystic Krewe of Olympia in Covington, another day when two very different parades share a date. Monday the sixteenth of February, Lundi Gras, brings the Krewe of Bogue Falaya second line to Covington, and Tuesday the seventeenth of February, Mardi Gras Day, closes the season with the Krewe of Bogue Falaya, the Covington Lions Club parade and the Mystic Krewe of Covington parade, all in Covington. Arrive early for any parade, because the best kerb spots fill well before the first float, and bring folding chairs, water and layers for weather that can shift from mild sunshine to a cool wind in a single afternoon. The parades are free to watch, and no layer states a price for watching any parade, so the main costs of a visit are travel, food and lodging.
For a useful comparison, see the St. Tammany Parish Louisiana Abita Fall Festival for another county festival.
Sample Itinerary
A good first season visit takes in three parade days across two weekends. Arrive on Friday the sixth of February and spend the evening in Mandeville, where the Krewe of Eve marks its fortieth anniversary with seven hundred and seventy-five members on thirty-three floats. Walk the route early, find a kerb spot near the middle of the procession, and stay for the music and food that follow the parade. On Saturday the seventh of February, drive to Madisonville in the morning for the Krewe of Tchefuncte boat parade, watching decorated boats pass along the river, then return to Covington in the afternoon for the Mystic Krewe of Olympia, the oldest parade in Saint Tammany. The contrast between a river parade and a downtown street parade in a single day shows the season at its widest. Return on Tuesday the seventeenth of February for Mardi Gras Day. Arrive before midday, watch the Krewe of Bogue Falaya and the Covington Lions Club parade, and stay for the Mystic Krewe of Covington, the city’s oldest krewe, as it closes the season.
Comparison
A parish-wide season rewards a different kind of planning than a single-site festival does. At a single-site gathering, a visitor arrives at one gate, follows one programme and leaves through the same gate, with the whole experience contained in a few hours. In Saint Tammany Parish, the experience is spread across nine towns and more than five weeks, and the visitor becomes the organiser, choosing which parades to attend and which towns to visit. The trade is between depth and breadth. A single-site festival offers a concentrated programme in one place, while the parish season offers variety, with a boat parade, a canine parade, a night parade and a Mardi Gras Day procession all available within the same calendar. The cost structure differs too. A single-site festival often charges for entry, while the parish parades are free to watch, so the budget goes to travel and meals rather than tickets.
Checklist
- Pick a weekend from the dated two thousand and twenty-six schedule and note the town and the krewe.
- Arrive early and claim a kerb spot with folding chairs before the route fills.
- Bring water, snacks and layers for weather that can change during the day.
- Plan parking a few blocks from the route, since streets near the parade close.
- Keep small children close at the kerb and watch for throws coming from the floats.
- Carry cash for food vendors and small purchases along the route.
- Stay for the after-party or the town gathering that follows the parade.
- Respect the krewe members and the marching bands as they pass, and keep the route clear.
- Check the local arrangements for the chosen town before setting out, since routes change.
- Leave time to explore the host town after the parade has passed.
Beyond the Parades
The towns of the parish reward a slower look once the floats have passed. Covington, the parish seat, holds a historic downtown of shops, galleries and restaurants that fills on parade days and stays welcoming on quieter ones, and its Trailhead, the old railway station turned gathering place, anchors both parade weekends and ordinary afternoons. Mandeville’s lakefront offers a different pace, with the water on one side and the old town’s streets on the other, and the Mandeville Trailhead serves as the meeting point for the season’s opening celebration. Madisonville sits on the river, and its waterfront gives the boat parade its setting while offering a quiet place to watch the water on days when no parade is running. Slidell, the largest town on the calendar, carries its own parade traditions and its own downtown to explore, while Pearl River, Abita Springs, Lacombe, Bush and Folsom each bring smaller gatherings and quieter streets to the season.
Significance
The season matters because it shows how Carnival survives outside the big cities, carried not by one organisation but by dozens of krewes that each keep their own traditions alive. The Mystic Krewe of Covington, founded in nineteen fifty-one, has outlasted generations of members and still closes the season on Mardi Gras Day, while the Krewe of Eve, marking forty years in two thousand and twenty-six, shows how a younger krewe can grow into one of the largest parades on the calendar. The Krewe of Mardi Paws, which moved from Olde Mandeville to downtown Covington in two thousand and twenty, shows how a tradition can change its home without losing its character. Together the krewes keep the parish’s Carnival alive in a form that belongs to the towns themselves, with routes that pass the same shops and houses year after year and crowds that return to the same kerb spots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which parade should a first-time visitor choose?
The Krewe of Eve in Mandeville on Friday the sixth of February is a strong first choice, because its fortieth anniversary brings seven hundred and seventy-five members on thirty-three floats to a single evening parade. For a different kind of first visit, the Krewe of Tchefuncte boat parade in Madisonville on Saturday the seventh of February offers a spectacle that no street parade can match, and it pairs well with the Mystic Krewe of Olympia in Covington on the same day.
Can children enjoy the parades safely?
Children are at the heart of the season, and the parades are built around family-friendly parties, throws and marching bands. Keep small children close at the kerb, watch for beads and trinkets coming from the floats, and choose a spot away from the busiest intersections. The canine parades, Mardi Paws in Covington and Krewe du Pooch on the Mandeville lakefront, are especially popular with younger visitors.
Do visitors need tickets to watch a parade?
No layer states a price for watching any parade, and the parades are free to watch. The Mande Kings Day after-party at the Mandeville Trailhead is also free. Costs come from travel, food and lodging rather than from entry, which makes the season one of the most open Carnival experiences a visitor can plan.
How many towns host parades in the season?
Nine towns host parades: Slidell, Covington, Mandeville, Pearl River, Abita Springs, Madisonville, Lacombe, Bush and Folsom. Covington is the parish seat and hosts several of the best-known parades, including the Mystic Krewe of Olympia and the Mystic Krewe of Covington, but the calendar spreads the action across the whole parish.
What to Expect From the Next St. Tammany Parish Louisiana Mardi Gras Festival
How often is St. Tammany Parish Louisiana Mardi Gras Festival held?
The season returns each year, running from early January to Mardi Gras Day in mid-February. The two thousand and twenty-six schedule is fully dated, with parades on the tenth of January, the thirtieth of January, the sixth and seventh of February, the sixteenth of February and Mardi Gras Day on the seventeenth of February, among others across the parish’s nine towns.
When is the next St. Tammany Parish Louisiana Mardi Gras Festival?
The next documented season is the two thousand and twenty-six season, opening on Saturday the tenth of January with the Mande Kings Day Parade and Festival in Mandeville and the Fools of Misrule in Covington, and closing on Tuesday the seventeenth of February, Mardi Gras Day, with the Krewe of Bogue Falaya, the Covington Lions Club parade and the Mystic Krewe of Covington parade in Covington. A later season has no dated edition in the layers read.
Will the dates change?
Carnival dates follow the calendar of the season, so the weekday and the day of the month shift from year to year even while the shape of the season stays the same. Each krewe sets its own parade day within the season, and the parish schedule is published afresh each year, so a visitor planning a future trip should confirm the current year’s dates for the chosen town and krewe before travelling.
The parish season ends as it begins, with neighbours along a kerb waiting for the first float to turn the corner, and the best way to understand it is to pick a town, arrive early, and watch a krewe that has kept its own traditions alive for decades roll past the shops and houses it calls home.
