Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter announced Thursday some changes to the Youngsville Mardi Gras parade. Ritter has met with first responders over the past year to discuss public safety concerns and what should be done to address these issues.
This year, there will be a limit on the number of floats that will roll in the parade, "We're limiting the number of entries into the Youngsville Mardi Gras parade. This is really in an effort to improve gridlock. We've heard from our residents, our business owners, and again, from our first responders. A parade of this size that we've had over the years past gridlocks the city. The front of the parade nears the end of the parade and ultimately it's just not a safe environment," said Ritter. At this time, the city has not decided on the exact number of floats that will be allowed.
Ritter said there were also modifications made to the parade route in order to free up other roadways in the city, "Having the parade on Chemin Metairie Parkway, it's a wider road. Our first responders have told us that it's more conducive for a parade. There's less turns on the route, less turns means less pinch-points. The road being wider helps to support participants have safe viewing areas," said Ritter.
If you're interested in participating in the parade, Ritter added that entry fees did increase. The parade will roll at 11:00a.m. on Saturday, February 10th.
