When is Mardi Gras this year?

New Roads, Louisiana hosts the state's oldest Mardi Gras celebration outside New Orleans. This historic and charming Creole town of 5,500, located 35 minutes northwest of Baton Rouge on False River, attracts as many as 75,000 people each Shrove Tuesday for a family-friendly celebration. The Community Center Carnival Club parade, founded in 1922 and Louisiana's oldest outside New Orleans, rolls at 11 a.m. The New Roads Lions Carnival parade, founded in 1941 and which is staged as a charitable fundraiser, rolls at 1:30 p.m. Each parade consists of 25-30 floats built fresh each year, eight-ten marching bands and drill units and tons of trinket "throws" including beads, cups and small toys. Unlike the exclusiveness of formal krewes, New Roads' parade particiaption is open to the public, with schools, churches, clubs, businesses and families building and riding the floats. The Mardi Gras in New Roads, Louisiana website: contains history and images of this unique Mardi Gras event.