ST. MARTIN PARISH — St. Martinville Police Chief Ricky Martin said safety concerns and the complexity of planning pushed the return of the Newcomers Parade to 2027. “Working on the logistics of the parade, trying to get everything together to make sure we are all on the same page, safety is our number one concern, and so far our meetings have been productive, we’re trying to shoot for 2027,” Martin said.
The Newcomers Parade has not rolled through St. Martinville since 2015, after safety concerns and the inability to control large crowds led organizers to end the event. Last year, the Newcomers Organization said the goal was to bring the parade back this year, but organizers and law enforcement determined the scale of a comeback required more time and coordination than originally expected.
"Well, I think that the planning process just took that long,” Martin said. He anticipates an increased need for officers and coordination with agencies outside the St. Martinville Police Department and the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office. “We definitely have to increase our security, the amount of security we have,” Martin said.
He said organizers considered other formats during planning such as a festival because large, moving parades bring higher safety and liability concerns. “There’s a lot of factors in there. You have less liability because you don’t have traffic passing constantly and you don’t have people walking in front of floats. It's just less liability and so it's easier for us to contain it and secure it versus a parade,” Martin said.
Newcomers Organization President Carla Jean-Baptiste said the group remains committed to bringing the parade back for the community. “I think the town needs to have their parade back again to give the people the enjoyment they used to have, family-oriented,” Jean-Baptiste said.
She said organizers expect a larger turnout than in the past. “It’s probably going to be more in 2027 than it was 11 years ago, the comeback of the parade, so we’re trying to iron that out,” she said. Jean-Baptiste added that they aim to do everything they can to ensure the parade is a family safe event.
“Safety, that’s my biggest concern,” she said. She said organizers want community support as planning continues. “I’d like to have the community come together with us— that’s my biggest thing, and help us to put this on in a safe way,” Jean-Baptiste said.
Organizers say they’re coordinating with law enforcement on logistics as part of a shared effort to ensure a safe and successful parade.
