West Houma Mardi Gras parade route staying the same, parish president says

The route for parades on the west side of Houma is not changing, Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove told HTV 10’s Martin Folse on Monday. 

In November of last year, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Tim Soignet announced that the route would be reversed for the 2021 Carnival season, with krewes meeting at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center to pre-stage and line up the floats near Barrow Street and Highway 311 before making their way through downtown and ending at the Southland Mall. 

Last season’s parades were canceled over COVID-19 concerns, however. 

Dove said he met with Soignet, Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman, Carnival clubs representatives and other officials last week to discuss Mardi Gras. Although parades will continue to end near Town Hall on Barrow Street, officials aim to implement other changes.  During the meeting, the group decided to start night parades 30 minutes to an hour earlier and push parades as quickly as possible by reducing float stops and limiting the downtown toast to 20 minutes after the bridge from the float to the viewing stand is set up, Dove said.