LAFAYETTE PARISH — The King Gabriel Parade rolled through Lafayette with floats stacked high and riders ready to toss, drawing families who claimed their spots along Main Street hours before the procession began. Lawn chairs lined the route as children waited for beads and music echoed through downtown.
For many along the route, the celebration centered on more than what came flying from the floats. It brought together friends, relatives and neighbors, including some who traveled from surrounding parishes to take part.
Sarah Tigner made the trip from Avoyelles Parish, continuing a tradition she said she has kept every year since 2004.
“Just to pass a good time and catch some stuff,” Tigner said. “I’m out here with everybody — it’s a bunch of us that hang out, talk, dance, eat, have a good time and just enjoy our day.”
Throughout the afternoon, neighbors greeted one another, children compared their catches and families shared food and conversation. As the parade moved through downtown Lafayette, it delivered another Carnival celebration shaped as much by the crowd along the route as the riders on the floats.
