Here’s Why Next Year’s Shreveport Mardi Gras Parades are ‘In Jeopardy’

Krewe of Centaur spokesperson Corky Bridges says that unless Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins and the city change their position on who pays for the SPD for parade security, the area's two biggest Mardi Gras parades may not happen in 2022.

As a result of the Mayor Perkins stance, both Krewe's, at Pekins urging, met with Bossier City leaders to discuss the possibility of the Centaur and Gemini parades being held completely or partly on Bossier's Arthur Ray Teague Parkway. But, according to both Bridges and the Bossier City Mayor's office, the sides could not reach an agreement and once again, Shreveport seems to be the Krewe's only option.

Here's everything Corky Bridges told KEEL regarding the future of the parades:

"I guess if I had an opinion - and it's no secret at this point - it's all about budgets. The money." Bridges says referring to the city's position, "And we feel like that's not an issue because of the economic impact that these two parades bring to the table.

"Asking us to come out of our pockets to fund overtime pay for any city services on either side of the river (would be) disastrous. These Mardi Gras Krewes are completely funded, 100%, by the members of the organizations. we have to do this in concert with city officials. This is the only event that Mardi Gras Krewes put together every year that has to have help from the community."

And what if Mayor Perkins holds firm and demands the six figure sum from the Krewes? "We would be in jeopardy," says Bridges, referring to the Centaur parade in February, "We cannot afford that. We're a not for profit organization. Our books are near zero every year. That money's just not there."