SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The oldest parading Mardi Gras Krewe in Shreveport-Bossier is ready to return with its 33rd-year after the annual event was canceled last year due to COVID-19.
The Krewe of Gemini parade will roll on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 3:00 p.m., but they will hold a float loading event on Friday, the day before the parade, with vendors and trinkets.
Police will close Clyde Fant Parkway from Lake St. to Shreveport-Barksdale Highway at 7:00 p.m. Friday night before the parade. Clyde Fant Parkway will then re-open to traffic at 7:00 a.m. on parade day so people can set up early Saturday. The staging area between Milam Street and Lake Street on Clyde Fant will be closed at 8:00 a.m.
Gemini says this year they have nearly 2 million throws to toss to the crowd at the parade, including beads, stuffed animals, toys, cups, doubloons, and other trinkets. The parade starts on Clyde Fant Pkwy. south from downtown Shreveport at Lake St. then turns right onto Shreveport-Barksdale Hwy. before turning left onto E. Kings Hwy. to Preston St.
A family-friendly no alcohol site is located along Clyde Fant close to Stoner Hill.
No throw zones will be at the staging area on Clyde Fant Memorial Pkwy north of Lake St., the railroad tracks over Clyde Fant Memorial Pkwy. just north of Veteran’s Memorial Park, the Stoner Avenue bridge over Clyde Fant Memorial Pkwy., the Clyde Fant Memorial Pkwy. exit to Shreveport-Barksdale Hwy., and the transitioning curve from Shreveport-Barksdale Hwy to E. Kings Hwy.
Shreveport police have some parking and seating reminders for parade-goers:
Stakes, flagging tape, furniture, tents, and other items left as space markers before 7:00 a.m. will be removed by police.The public will not be able to save parking spaces, set up tents, or recreational vehicles on Clyde Fant Memorial Pkwy. or on the service road between Stoner Ave. and Shreveport-Barksdale Hwy. before 7:00 a.m. Saturday.Parking on East Kings Hwy. is reserved for permit holders only.No parking is allowed on any neutral ground and improved roadway on Shreveport-Barksdale Highway.Citizens may not park in restricted areas marked with rope, cable, tape, or any other device used as a barricade.No parking is allowed on Captain Shreve Dr.Restricted parking is allowed on residential streets from Albany Ave. to Patton Ave. Some roads allow parking only on one side while other streets forbid parking. Keep streets clear for emergency vehicles, follow parking signs, and do not block any driveway.Handicapped parking is available at the East Kings Hwy. Park, also known as the “Duck Pond,” at the Veterans Memorial Park on Clyde Fant Memorial Pkwy. and at Atlantic Ave. at East Kings Hwy. (A handicapped parking tag or plate will be necessary to gain access.)
Prohibited items and actions are:
Glass bottles or containers are allowed on the parade route.Crossing parade barricades during the parade.Animals within 200 yards of the parade route, except animals in secured yards of residents living along the parade route and service animals.Dangerous objects or silly string.Concealed carrying of a firearm in a public park area.Throwing anything at a parade float.Large flags or banners within 50 feet of the parade route.Underage possession of alcohol.Public nudity.ATVs, side by sides, dirt bikes, or any other motorized recreational vehicles are allowed on city streets or on the parade route.
Fifty years after the Great Depression and WWII, a committee was formed to bring Mardi Gras back to the ArkLaTex, founding the Krewe of Gemini in 1989. The Krewe took its name Gemini from the zodiac symbol of twins to represent the twin cities of Shreveport and Bossier City.
