IBERIA PARISH (NEW IBERIA) — Mardi Gras season is officially underway in Acadiana!
The region celebrated its first Mardi Gras parade of the year Saturday afternoon as New Iberia’s annual Bayou Mardi Gras Parade rolled through historic downtown Main Street.
The festive event drew large crowds, colorful costumes and plenty of throws, marking the start of carnival season across the area.
The parade was led by a New Iberia native Grand Marshal, former NISH football player and LSU Athletic Director—Verge Ausbury.
“It is so exciting to be the first parade of the year,” said Kurt O'Brien, the 2025 parade king. “We are so stacked and so psyched. All this stuff is going to the people—we’re going to throw it all!”
Before the parade began, O’Brien and Tracy Broussard—the 2025 Queen of the Bayou Mardi Gras Parade—rode with the Mystic Krewe of Iberians.
Though their reign officially ends in two weeks when the ball takes place, they said they are enjoying the celebration.
“The favorite part is downtown when the people are thick,” O’Brien said. “They’re hollering, and you just want to throw and throw. You wish you had more stuff to give out.”
O'Brien added that being near the front of the lineup made the experience even more exciting.
“We’re float number two, so we’re pretty excited to be starting things off for the people,” he said.
With packed crowds, festive floats and plenty of beads and candy flying through the air, the Bayou Mardi Gras Parade set an energetic tone for the weeks of celebrations ahead.
For a full list of upcoming Mardi Gras events happening across Acadiana, visit our Mardi Gras Headquarters Page.
