Lafayette, Louisiana
Besides New Orleans Mardi Gras, there are several other cities in the U.S. that celebrate Carnival. Lafayette, Louisiana, is one of them. This city is a two-hour drive from New Orleans and the activities start two weeks prior to Mardi Gras. It is a good place to go to avoid all of the craziness and expenses of New Orleans. They also have Krewes that plan the activities, parades, and parties. There are special parades for children, parties, and costume contests.
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is three hours from New Orleans and also has a great Carnival list of events. This one begins in January with a Twelfth Night Celebration with an awesome parade with very colorful costumes. The events of Carnival continue from January until Fat Tuesday. Here they have a Gumbo Cook-off as well as the World Famous Cajun Extravaganza. Culinary delights that feature the Cajun cuisine. It has been said that this location is the most family-friendly carnival.
There is also an event called the Chicken Run which is a very old medieval French tradition brought here by the first Acadians to settle in the Louisiana area in the 1750s. It starts with a parade and ends at a farm where the leader barters with the farmer—a chicken to add to a large batch of gumbo in return for some entertainment. Music begins and dancing follows; a great party for all. The farmer is pleased and agrees to part with a chicken. The catch is, they must first catch the chicken! He releases it into the crowd!
