Laissez les bons temps rouler. Lawrencians can get a feel for Mardi Gras festivities at this year’s celebration downtown.
The annual parade will occur on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Festivities will start bright and early, with Terrebonne serving beignets, coffee and cocktails at 8 a.m. Paradegoers will then meet at 11:30 a.m. outside of the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., to prepare for the parade starting at noon.
Please support
The Lawrence Times!
Subscribe here.
The parade will continue down Massachusetts Street and stop at Free State Brewery for more songs and a drink break before looping back to celebrate at Terrebonne.
The parade is led by the River City Brass Band, according to the event’s website.
The band hosts the parade in honor of their friends, Mike and Katie West. The Wests moved to Lawrence from New Orleans and brought the Mardi Gras tradition with them, starting the first parade in 2008.
“We march, stumble down Mass street stopping to play on corners, in restaurants, and anywhere else that won’t kick us out immediately,” according to the website.
All are welcome to join the parade. For more information on the festivities or how to join the band, see the website, lawrencemardigras.org.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Hannah Loub (she/her), reporting intern with The Lawrence Times since January 2026, is a journalism and global and international studies major at the University of Kansas. She is currently the lead digital producer for KUJH and worked as a beat reporter for the University Daily Kansan. Read her work for the Times here.
Latest Lawrence news:
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
