IBERIA PARISH (NEW IBERIA) — As the holiday season comes to a close, Mardi Gras festivities are gearing up across Acadiana, with New Iberia set to host its 9th Annual Bayou Mardi Gras Parade in just two weeks.
The parade will roll through historic downtown New Iberia on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 4:00 p.m., marking what organizers say will once again be the first Mardi Gras parade of the season in Acadiana.
Founding members of the Bayou Mardi Gras Association say preparations are well underway, promising a celebration filled with traditional throws, food and community spirit.
“Everything from food, hats, cups, shirts, beads—all the traditional Mardi Gras throws,” said Wess Robison, a founding board member of the association.
According to Robison, the Bayou Mardi Gras Association was formed in 2017 by himself, Pat Norris, Beau Beaulleau and Mike Watney after a brief pause in the city’s parade tradition.
The group came together following a transition period for the Krewe of Andalusia, which previously hosted the parade.
“The Krewe still exists, but the parade stopped for one year,” Robison said. “The four of us came together out of a love of Mardi Gras, love for the community and wanting to keep it going.”
State Rep. Beau Beaulleau, also a founding member, said the association is proud to continue leading off the Mardi Gras season in the region.
“We’re always the first — for the last nine years in Acadiana — to let Mardi Gras roll down the bayou,” Beaulleau said. “This year’s no exception, and people are already talking about it.”
During the announcement, Beaulleau revealed this year’s grand marshal: Verge Ausberry, New Iberia native and LSU’s athletic director.
“Having Verge as a New Iberia guy, we want to celebrate him and all he’s represented,” Beaulleau said. “His successes and the way he’s been an ambassador for Acadiana and the state of Louisiana mean a lot.”
Ausberry, a former SEC linebacker and standout athlete at New Iberia Senior High, will lead the parade through downtown as crowds gather for the kickoff of Carnival season.
The Bayou Mardi Gras Parade rolls on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 4:00 p.m. in downtown New Iberia.
More information can be found at our official Mardi Gras Headquarters.
