Kings Parade in Lafayette

Posted: Feb 21, 2012 6:01 PM by Melissa Hawkes
Updated: Feb 21, 2012 6:02 PM

The King's Parade kicked off Lafayette Mardi Gras events on Tuesday. Music filled the streets as the kings parade rolled with King Gabriel Tommy Hightower leading the way.

Marching bands, cheerleaders and floats, filled with people throwing beads, is all it took to make parade-goers happy like Lafayette resident Aaron Constantine.

He said, "you've got to yell and holler if you want to catch them. If you don't yell, they aren't going to give them to you."

Tyren Calias said, "I like when they throw the toys and all the beads."

Its not just the locals that love all the beads, even the out-of-towners catch the Mardi Gras fever.

Charley Coultas is visiting from Seattle. He said, "I think it's interesting because at the end of the day, it's just apiece of plastic but I love the excitement and the atmosphere behind all of it."

Coultas said events like this don't happen there.

"I come out because it's a really cool part of American culture," he said.

Bethany Stockham lives in South Carolina. She said, "it's a culture shock. I live in the south, but this is totally different and it's really neat."

It's her first Mardi Gras, but she said it won't be her last.