BATON ROUGE, La. — Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Office of Tourism today announced the lineup of float riders and performers selected to represent the state in the 135th Rose Parade® in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2024.
Louisiana will be on the national and international stage for the third year in a row for this annual tradition. This year's theme is "Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language."
According to Ben Berthelot, president and CEO of Lafayette Travel, Sydney "Sid" Williams, musician and longtime owner of El Sido's Zydeco & Blues Club, will represent Lafayette Parish on the float.
“Lafayette Travel is pleased to partner with Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Office of Tourism for the 2024 Rose Bowl ‘Celebrating a World of Music’ Parade. Not only is Sid Williams a musician, but he is a larger-than-life personality who has done so much for our community. Through El Sido’s he gave many musicians opportunities along the way, and welcomed visitors from around the world with a hospitality that was second to none. We are proud to have Sid there and know he will represent us well.”
According to Lt. Gov. Nungesser, the Louisiana float in the 2024 Rose Parade® will feature a larger-than-life Mardi Gras jester, fleur-de-lis, second-line umbrellas and, of course, lots of purple, green and gold. Louisiana's rolling performance will include all of the sights and sounds of a Louisiana Mardi Gras. Featured performers include Grammy-nominated zydeco musician Sean Ardoin, Cajun fiddler Amanda Shaw and legendary guitarist James Burton.
“Louisiana is a perfect fit for the theme of music. Music is a part of our culture, from Mardi Gras to our festivals, to our daily lives. We will kick off our new marketing campaign, Year of Music, in 2024 with this parade and we know we’re going to put on a show the audience will never forget,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Our riders this year represent the celebratory spirit of Louisiana and our performers are bringing authentic Louisiana flare.”
Lafayette is one of seven premier sponsors of Louisiana’s float, representing convention and visitors’ bureaus and tourism boards from across the state, officials say.
Louisiana’s 2024 Rose Parade® float riders include:
- Sydney “Big Sid” Williams; Owner, El Sido’s Zydeco & Blues Club (Lafayette Travel – Premier Sponsor)
- Katrice Lacour; Zydeco musician (Natchitoches Convention & Visitors Bureau – Premier Sponsor)
- Curtis Doucette, Jr.; Lead developer of renovations at Dew Drop Inn (New Orleans & Company – Premier Sponsor)
- Kasia Trepagnier; Actress/Producer (Tangipahoa Convention & Visitors Bureau – Premier Sponsor)
- Kennidy Elizabeth Ann Peavy; 2023 Southwest Louisiana Miss Queen Mardi Gras (Visit Lake Charles – Premier Sponsor)
- James Burton; Legendary guitarist (Visit Shreveport-Bossier – Premier Sponsor)
- Amanda Shaw; Cajun fiddler (Visit The Northshore – Premier Sponsor)
- Jordyn Finlyn Kelley; 64th Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival Queen (Calcasieu Parish)
- Laura Jane Kirkpatrick; Miss Louisiana’s Teen 2023 (Baton Rouge)
- Zharia Lemar; Miss Festival of the Bonfires XXXIII (St. James Parish – selected by First Lady-elect Sharon Landry)
- Destiny Wilrye; 2023 Miss Ragley Heritage and Timber Festival (Beauregard Parish – selected by First Lady-elect Sharon Landry)
The Rose Parade® presented by Honda will roll January 1, 2024, and broadcast live all over the world at 8 a.m. Pacific through broadcast partners, including ABC and NBC.
For more information on how to join Louisiana and volunteer to decorate the 2024 Louisiana float in Pasadena, visit ExploreLouisiana.com/2024-rose-parade.
