Mamou Mardi Gras Make Changes for 2026
(KNGT-FM) - Mardi Gras season kicks off, and the festivities around Southwest Louisiana are really starting to ramp up around the area. On Tuesday, we received some sad Mardi Gras news, and wanted to pass it along to you.
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Mardi Gras Traditions in Louisiana
There are plenty of places around the State of Louisiana to spend the Mardi Gras season. Every corner of South Louisiana has different and very unique events that they do. Everyone around the country knows about the parades and traditions of New Orleans Mardi Gras, but the locals know the places to be are in Southwest Louisiana andthe Acadiana areas.
I'm talking about a true traditional Mardi Gras, featuring a Chicken Run, street dances, classic costumes, and live Cajun and Zydeco music from Louisiana artists. These kinds of celebrations are found in small Cajun towns across Louisiana, including Mamou, Iota, Eunice, and Iowa.
READ MORE: SWLA Mardi Gras Events 2026
Mamou Changes Up Mardi Gras Events For 2026 Season
On Tuesday, we received some sad news for Mardi Gras 2026. There will be no traditional Mardi Gras events in Mamou this year, including the Monday night celebration and Fat Tuesday festivities.
The Mamou Mardi Gras run will still take place and leave Mardi Gras morning at 7 a.m. Steve Riley, Ferral Manuel, and Wild Rice will still play outside of Fre's on Saturday Morning.
In a statement, Mamou Mardi Gras leaders explained that the event has grown bigger every year. Because of that growth, they felt it was best to take a break this season to reset and reorganize. A big focus of the pause is safety, including better planning and having enough law enforcement and security to support an event of this size.
The cancellation is only for this year. Organizers are already planning to bring Mamou Mardi Gras back in 2027, promising it will be bigger and better than ever.
Here is the full statement released by Derrell Thomas on Facebook:
To our family, friends, supporters, and everyone near and far who has supported Mardi Gras events year after year:
We want to share that there will be no Mardi Gras events hosted this year, including Monday night and Fat Tuesday festivities. This decision was not made lightly.
As the event has grown bigger each year, we’ve reached a point where it’s important to pause for this season in order to reset, restructure, and establish clearer expectations for the future. A key part of this reset includes prioritizing safety, ensuring appropriate planning, and hiring the proper amount of law enforcement and security personnel to adequately support an event of this size. Hosting events of this scale requires significant time, coordination, and financial investment, and this break will allow us to come back stronger, safer, and more organized.
This cancellation is for this year only. We are already looking ahead and excited to bring Mardi Gras back in 2027 — bigger, better, and like we never left.
We are truly grateful to every person who has shown love, support, and loyalty over the years. Thank you for helping make these events what they’ve become.
As Mardi Gras approaches, everyone please stay safe, enjoy the festivities throughout the area, and have a great time celebrating.
Thank you again for the continued support. We look forward to seeing everyone in 2027.