Shreveport Mardi Gras Feud Is Now Over

SHREVEPORT, LA - The two big Mardi Gras parades in Shreveport will roll next year with minimal changes. Mayor Tom Arceneaux has announced both the Krewe of Centaur and the Krewe of Gemini will roll on their scheduled dates and both parades will begin at 2:45 in the afternoon from Lake Street in downtown Shreveport.

Stacy Brown with the Convention and Tourist Bureau says this is great for tourism in our area. She says "these parades  provide a great opportunity to showcase the culture and history of our region." She also thanked the Krewes for everything they do throughout the year to help make our community a better place to live.

Centaur Captain Ricky Bridges and Gemini Co-Captain Patrick Gallagher extended thanks to the Mayor and his staff. Bridges says "We are ready to put on a parade and are ready to roll." Gallagher says "we have put on a parade for the past 35 years and hope for many more years to come."

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith says extra security officers have been found and he will have 74 officers at the African American Parade on the morning of February 3rd and 200 officers working the Centaur Parade that afternoon. The Krewe of Gemini parade is on February 10th.

He says all of these officers will have arrest authority Chief Smith says he will also deploy other technology including drones to help keep the areas safe.

Mayor Arceneaux says the parades should be finished by 7pm and "we have measures in place if they are not finished. We have had a good relationship, I don’t anticipate that being a problem."

The Krewes will also be required to have wreckers stage every 5^th float in the parade so any breakdowns can be moved out quickly.

Arceneaux says this new one year contract also calls for the gaps in the parade to be no larger than 100 feet. He says when there are dead spots in the parade, the crowds can get restless and start moving into the street.