The countdown has begun for the 34th annual Krewe of Centaur Parade which rolls this coming Saturday, February 22. And every year, tourism and economic development officials will tell you this Mardi Gras Parade, and Krewe of Gemini Parade the following Saturday [March 1], typically attracts 200,000 – to 300,000 people.
With just days to go, the Shreveport Police Department held a news conference near part of the nearly 6-mile-long parade route just off the Clyde Fant Parkway at Veterans Park South Parking lot on Stoner Avenue. That’s where leaders of agencies including the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, Shreveport City Marshal’s office, the Shreveport Fire Department, and more, were all in attendance. First it was Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux, followed soon after by Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith, both of whom delivered a briefing on security measures and readiness of the city and law enforcement for Saturday’s parade.
Security
Before last year’s parade there was concern about the number of public safety officials, with arresting powers who would be in attendance to help keep the parade route safe and family-friendly. In the 2024 edition there were more than 200 such officials. This time around Chief Smith announced that they will have more than 300 public safety officials from about a dozen agencies stationed at various locations along the parade route
As for exact numbers of visitors anticipated for this year’s Centaur Parade, the chief explained, “Who knows. It’s a hard guess because our parade is unique in the fact that’s it’s six miles-plus long. And it’s so difficult to estimate people along that route.” Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn also said they will have 40 to 45 people from their office on Saturday, including their special response operations groups.
Parade Route
The parade starts at the southern edge of downtown Shreveport at Lake Street at 3:30 Saturday afternoon. The floats head south on Clyde Fant Parkway. The parade then turns west onto Shreveport-Barksdale Highway, before turning south onto East Kings Highway, where the parade eventually ends at East Preston Street, near the city’s popular Duck Pond.
Weather Conditions
Historically, weather conditions can play an outsized role in crowd turnout, especially for the two largest Mardi gras parade, the krewe of centaur parade this coming weekend, followed by the krewe of Gemini parade the following weekend.
But LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says cold air will really start coming into Louisiana by mid-week. “By the time we get to Thursday and Friday, we’re looking at temperatures down to the low 20s across the northern part of Louisiana, low 30s across the southern part of the state.” Keim says it’s possible north Louisiana could see a wintry mix but says it should stay well north of the state line in Arkansas. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Shreveport, a high of 45 is forecast for Saturday, under partly sunny conditions.
Parade Information
Clyde Fant will close at 11:00 p.m. Friday night to prevent any early arrivals from setting up camp the night before the parade. Then the parkway will reopen at 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning for people to begin arriving. All the roads along the parade route will close at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, with the Centaur floats beginning to roll at 3:30 p.m.
Until just recently, both the Centaur and Gemini parades, both of which have the same exact route, began in the late afternoon and finished well after dark. The city shifted to the earlier 3:30 p.m. start time so that the nearly four-hour long parade ends not long after dark, to aid law enforcement.
Rules
· No ATVs, golf carts or motorized vehicles of any kind allowed on parade route
· No drones allowed
· No glass bottles allowed
· If you park somewhere within the parade route, you’re locked in until the parade ends around 7:00 p.m.
Normal Police Patrols Citywide Saturday
Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith also announced that despite the extra law enforcement presence at the parade, normal police patrols will continue throughout the city.
