Courir de Mardi Gras returns to the Market in Lafayette

From floats to fringe, sequined masks to capuchons, Mardi Gras histories and traditions vary from one Acadian community to the next. On Saturday, February 14th from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse will host the second annual Mardi Gras at the Market, a perfect opportunity for all ages to experience countryside traditions and city celebrations in the heart of the hub city.
Mardi Gras at the Market will begin at 8 a.m. with a mask-decorating booth hosted by the Children’s Museum of Acadiana featuring templates from several distinct Mardi Gras costume traditions. A Cajun Courir de Mardi Gras, or Mardi Gras “run” will take place on the expanse of the Horse Farm property, leaving the hub of the Market at 9:30 a.m. Locals and visitors are invited to dress, sing, and parade with the courir revelers as they beg hosts stationed on the Horse Farm for coins to contribute to French immersion efforts in Lafayette Parish. In keeping with the rural tradition, the prize host contribution will be a live chicken for the revelers to chase.
At 10:30 a.m., Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole hit the stage followed by the Pine Leaf Boys at 12:30 p.m. Dance the afternoon away to the sounds of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco music until 2 p.m. when the Children’s Parade approaches the nearby corner of Johnston Street and South College. Join the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm in honoring several of the Acadian Mardi Gras traditions still celebrated in south Louisiana today. As always, weekly Market vendors will sell their fresh produce, baked goods, provisions, and wares.
Mardi Gras at the Market is a free to the public and is a LafayetteTravel sponsored event. Parade parking will be available on the Horse Farm, weather permitting.
The Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at The Horse Farm serves as the premier venue for seasonal, farm-based products, and artisanal creations, offered by local producers, artists and vendors in a celebratory atmosphere of community, enrichment and entrepreneurism, created through the mutual support of its members and patrons. The Market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m.-12 p.m., rain or shine. Visit http://www.marketatthehorsefarm.com/
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