Could Mardi Gras Return to Bossier?

Could Mardi Gras Return to Bossier? Mayor Chandler Open to Parkway Route

For years, Bossier City residents have wondered if Mardi Gras parades would ever roll through their streets again. Mayor Tommy Chandler told KEEL News this week that the idea isn’t off the table and he’s open to new parade routes that could avoid the headaches of the past.

Looking Back at Bossier’s Mardi Gras Past

In earlier years, Bossier’s Mardi Gras celebration started at Pierre Bossier Mall and snaked down Airline Drive to Barksdale Boulevard before crossing into Shreveport. The route brought out big crowds, but it also brought major traffic disruptions, especially for businesses and residents along the way.

“It was long,” Mayor Chandler recalled. “A lot of things happened during then.” He noted that while the parade generated excitement, it also came with challenges, particularly with shutting down heavily used business corridors like Airline Drive.

A New Route Could Work

Chandler isn’t opposed to Mardi Gras returning to Bossier, but he believes it needs to be reimagined. “I wouldn’t mind seeing it going down the parkway,” he said, suggesting a route that could begin at the Brookshire Grocery Arena, travel along the Arthur Ray Teague Parkway, and cross into Shreveport via the Shreveport-Barksdale Bridge.

That proposal, he says, would keep festivities away from dense business districts and residential neighborhoods, the main concerns that led to the event’s relocation years ago.

Support Is Growing, But Council Approval Needed

Mayor Chandler says he gets asked about bringing Mardi Gras back every year. And while he’d support it under the right conditions, it all comes down to a vote. “We just gotta get four votes,” he said, referencing the Bossier City Council. “If it goes down the parkway or something, yes, I’d support it.”

He also noted that Bossier already benefits from Mardi Gras visitors who stay in local hotels and dine at local restaurants, even though the parade currently rolls only in Shreveport.

With four votes and a new route, we could see an excited Mardi Gras return to Bossier.