Yes, there are towns in Louisiana other than New Orleans that throw a great Mardi Gras party! Here are 5 of the best small towns to celebrate Carnival in Louisiana.

Top 5 Best Small Louisiana Towns To Celebrate Mardi Gras:

Lake Charles

We got to start right here by The Lake.  Lake Charles does a great job of bringing in the whole family for their Mardi Gras festivities.  They incorporate the "Kids Zone" and several family friendly parades and events to deliver a great Carnival experience. If you're in search of Cajun cuisine, then Lake Charlies is also the spot to post up, as it hosts not only one but two gumbo cook-offs and an event called Taste de la Louisiane, which features a delicious variety of southern and Cajun food. The "joie de vivre" (joy of living) is definitely alive in The Chuck.

I mean come on, we send a Lake Charles delegation every year to our sister city (Sioux City, Iowa) to teach them how to party every year.

Courir de Mardi Gras/ YouTube
Courir de Mardi Gras/ YouTube
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Eunice

The Courir de Mardi Gras is taken seriously in Eunice, with riders from this small town still wake up early and begin riding on horseback asking the community for gumbo donations.  The riders wear masks and colorful costumes, and when their done with the donation run, they make their way to Second Street in the mid-afternoon for a parade through the town center.  And you don't want to miss the street dance and jam session held in downtown! The time honored traditions don't stop with the ride, the city also holds a hog-butchering that has been a longtime part of the Cajun Mardi Gras.

YouTube/ Courir de Mardi Gras
YouTube/ Courir de Mardi Gras
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New Roads

New Roads is one of the oldest towns in Louisiana and also home to one of the oldest Mardi Gras festivals, dating back to 1881. The town features beautiful 19th-century creole and Victorian homes which serve as a wonderful historic backdrop for the parades. The Community Center Parade is the oldest Carnival celebration outside of New Orleans in Louisiana.

New Orleans Celebrates Its First Mardi Gras Since Hurricane Katrina
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Bogalusa

The Mardi Gras tradition of Bogalusa is relatively new, dating back to 1981. It's now one of the largest parades held by a town of its size. Today, the parade features nearly 20 marching bands, 38 floats, and more than 100 motorcyclists. The parade began with humble beginnings with the hope to get more traffic to their business district, and now it attracts thousands of visitors to this small town every year.

Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Celebration Takes Place In New Orleans
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Alexandria

Starting as early as December, the city hosts multiple parades leading up to Fat Tuesday, with several themes including the annual Krewe’s Parade. You can't have a Mardi Gras celebration without food, right?   With a $20 ticket you can enjoy champagne and Cajun cuisine at the "Taste of Mardi Gras". The city also offers family friendly activities like the King City Party at the Zoo, which includes a children's parade, costumed characters, and zoo animals.  There is also the Free Zone (an alcohol and tobacco-free area) that offers a variety of activities for kids, teens, and the whole family.

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