Special to the American Press

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, the city of Lake Charles will conduct a public meeting for property owners along Mardi Gras parade routes whose business operations will be affected by 2024 Mardi Gras Parades. The meeting will be held at 9 a.m. in the City Council Chambers of City Hall, 326 Pujo St.

At the public meeting, city officials will advise the public on port-a-can placements, dumpster placements, the law enforcement command center locations, Do’s and Don’ts, and parking restrictions downtown.

City and law enforcement officials will also discuss changes to the Ryan Street barricade placement schedule for 2024.

The city will distribute cardboard trash boxes with plastic liners at the meeting to property owners along the parade routes. The City of Lake Charles and Waste Management are providing the boxes.

Property owners are asked to collect trash left on their property and place the cardboard boxes in the public right of way along the parade route. City Solid Waste crews will pick up the boxes. For Mardi Gras weekend, Solid Waste crews will pick up the boxes beginning at 7 a.m., Wednesday morning, February 14, the day after the parades.

The parade schedule is as follows:

 The Lake Charles Mardi Gras Parade will take place on Sunday, February 4, at 1 p.m. and will depart the Lake Charles Event Center. It will travel down Broad Street, to Shattuck Street where it will turn onto Belden Street and travel to Ryan Street, before turning onto Pine Street and returning to the Event Center.

Utilizing the Ryan Street Parade Route, the Mardi Gras of SWLA Merchants’ Parade is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, February 9 and the Children’s Parade is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 19. (The time change for the 2024 Children’s Parade is due to the event falling on Super Bowl Sunday.) The Mardi Gras of SWLA Krewe of Krewes Parade will begin at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13. All of these parades will begin at the north end of Bord du Lac Drive, cross over Lakeshore Drive onto Pine Street, turn right onto Ryan Street and continue south on Ryan Street to Sale Road where the parades will end.

Other Mardi Gras weekend parades include the following:

The city of Lake Charles Children’s Mardi Gras Stroll will take place on First Avenue at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 10. This walking parade, designed just for children, will line up in the LCB Cougar Stadium parking lot on 1^st Avenue, and then travel down 1^st Avenue from 4^th Street to 8^th Street before returning to the LCB Cougar Stadium parking lot. Children are encouraged to decorate their own umbrella to strut with at this free-to-enter parade.

The Cumulus Broadcasting Krewe of Barkus Parade will take place on Saturday, February 10, at 1 p.m. It will start at the intersection of Broad and Ryan Streets, and travel down Broad Street to Hodges Street where it will end at Cumulus Broadcasting, 425 Broad St.

Following the Krewe of Barkus Parade, the Krewe of Omega Parade will roll on Saturday, February 10, at 2 p.m. It will depart the Lake Charles Event Center and travel down Broad Street to Enterprise Boulevard where it will turn onto Mill Street and head back to the Lake Charles Event Center.

On Mardi Gras day, Tuesday, February 13, Mardi Gras of SWLA’s Second Line Stroll Walking Parade (1 p.m.) will travel from Pine and Ryan Streets, south down Ryan Street to Dr. DeBakey Drive. Jeeps on Parade (2:30 p.m.) will travel down Ryan Street from Pine Street to Sale Road. The Motor Gras Parade will begin at 3 p.m. on Mardi Gras Day and will begin at Pine and Ryan Streets and head south to Sale Road.