Stalemate continues between council, Cantrelle
February 7, 2018Our View: Carnival reflections
February 7, 2018
Houma native Lisa Verret and her family plan to go to the parades this weekend.
But first, a few things needed to be done.
“We have to make groceries,” Verret. “Not for the house, but for the parades. We have to buy food, drinks, snacks for the kids and plates, cups and napkins.”
When asked how much the trip would cost, Verret said “about $50.”
Multiply that $50 times the thousands of people who will attend a parade this season and it’s easy to see – Mardi Gras is big business for Louisiana.
Indeed, economists, store owners and customers agree that the local economy thrives when Fat Tuesday is around the corner.
Economists estimate that New Orleans generates more than $300 million each year to the city’s businesses.
Locally, the number isn’t as high, but it is still significant, as Houma-Thibodaux has been listed as the second-biggest Mardi Gras hub in Louisiana.
“It’s a big deal,” said James Cabirac, the owner of local Hi-5 stores, which sell Mardi Gras-related items. “People here locally are really into it. It’s good for our business.”
“It’s a giant bump,” added Louisiana State University professor and renowned economist Dr. Loren Scott. “It is a big reason why tourism is such an important factor in our state and it’s a big chunk of tourism’s place as an engine in our state economy and also in your local economy.”
Everyone is affected.
Think about your normal parade routine and all of the places where you may spend money along the way.
Some catch the parade at a bar in Downtown Houma. That costs money to enter and also for balcony placement. Food and drinks add up, as well. That’s good for the business.
Others may secure spots along the side of the road like the Verret’s, opting to buy their own supplies, which benefits area grocers.
Still others may have an employer or close friend on the route, which likely means a portable restroom needs to be purchased – another economic lift.
Down in rural south Lafourche, most of the parades are accessible to houses off of La. Highway 1, which makes for home parties, barbecues, crawfish boils and other outlets, which all add into hundreds of thousands of dollars put into the economic pot.
“My house is on the parade route,” said Lafourche native Ross Adams. “My wife and I figured out last year that we had 37-to-40 people over at different points for the different parades. We didn’t cook anything, but everyone had their own food and their own drinks. That all adds up. It’s amazing how it all comes together.”
And that’s not even counting the supplies for the parade riders, themselves.
Cabirac said at Hi-5, he’s having a hard time keeping up with Mardi Gras-related sales, adding that what was once a seasonal thing at the store will now likely become year-round.
“Our sales have doubled,” he said.
For riders on the floats, they said the process of buying beads and trinkets is always growing and evolving, as well, and it almost becomes competitive among people on floats or in parades.
Peter Verret has been a part of multiple crews over several decades – once in Thibodaux, but now a member of the Krewe of Titans in Houma.
Verret said every year, he says to himself that he will try and be frugal with his purchases, but then, every year, he caves and finds himself getting more than he did the previous year.
“I am always so afraid that I am going to run out,” Verret said. “So I always make sure that I have enough – even if it’s too much.”
The past weekend was soggy on the parade route, but the rest of the schedule could be drier.
Verret said she is concerned that it may get cold for Mardi Gras Day in a few weeks.
“So we bought Mardi Gras sweaters for the kids,” she said with a laugh.
It’s the economic engine that keeps on giving.
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