Mardi Gras is Back in a Big Way in Shreveport-Bossier

There is no doubt the Mardi Gras parades in Shreveport are back and booming again. A new report from the Shreveport Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau shows the economic impact on our community is closing in on the $20 million dollar mark.

This puts the annual celebration back in line from where we were before the pandemic.

This research was handled by Wysong Brand solutions did a comparison of our parades and crowds from 2019 (the last year before the COVID pandemic) and this year.

What Do the Numbers Show?

• Krewe of Sobek Parade total attendance increased by 300% (2,000 attendees)
• Krewe of Harambee Parade total attendance increased by 100% (8,000 attendees)
• Krewe of Highland Parade total attendance increased by 59% (35,000 attendees)

These numbers also show more out of town folks flocked to our community to enjoy the parade. The report shows 41% of the visitors for Mardi Gras parades were from out of our metro area. The data shows about 225,000 people turned out for at least one of our parades. Back in 2019, only 36% of the parade-goers were from out of town. That means we are doing a better job of marketing these parades to surrounding communities.

As you can see from the chart, we still have a little more room to grow to get back to the pre-pandemic levels, but bringing in more outsiders is a good start. Folks who come from out of town will typically spend more money. They will often stay in our hotels and eat out at our restaurants and do shopping in the local area.

Stacy Brown, President of the Convention and Tourist Bureau says

We are excited that the Mardi Gras season continues to bring visitors from outside the area, and the economic impact is on the upswing from 2019. We are two cities offering something you truly cannot experience anywhere else, and we love to see that these numbers reflect that.