LAFAYETTE, La. — Although we haven’t even made it to Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras krewes in Acadiana are busy preparing for Carnival season.
Two Lafayette krewes say it's going to be a way to make up for lost times.
"It's a relief,” said Darrell Frugé, captain of the Mystique Krewe of Apollo de Lafayette. “It's a sign that things are getting back to normal.”
Krewe of Rio king Gil Zaunbrecher agrees.
"I'm excited about it,” he said. “We've been waiting for this all year long."
Mardi Gras is just a little more than 100 days away.
"Get your party clothes ready,” said Krewe of Rio’s queen, Tanya Zaunbrecher. “It'll be a good time no matter what."
We also checked in with the Lafayette Convention and Visitor Commission. Their president and CEO says having Mardi Gras brings tens of millions of dollars to our area.
"We pride ourselves in being the second-largest Mardi Gras in the state,” said Ben Berthelot. “We're a very family-friendly Mardi Gras. That's one thing I’m very proud of. We're always able to deliver on that aspect, we're very safe and family-friendly Mardi Gras."
Just like the members of the krewes, he says there's optimism moving forward.
"We have 100,000 people in a football stadium so I don't see why you can't have Mardi Gras rolling in the streets outside, giving people the opportunity to spread out as they need. We have a pretty long parade route, so I think everything's in place, in line for it to happen and we're all looking forward to that,” he said.
Both krewes tell KATC since they had to put their party on pause last year, they're feeling a bit of pressure for the upcoming season.
Apollo’s captain says they’re already rehearsing their musical numbers for the ball.
"The feeling that you get on New Year's Eve, that's what you're going to have for two and a half hours,” he added when speaking about what it’s like to be in an Apollo ball. “It's just a nonstop party. It's beautiful costumes coming out one after the other, and then parading around the audience. We keep moving things very quickly, so nobody gets bored."
Both krewes say they'll be checking state and local guidelines to make sure their events are safe.
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