Shreveport Police Say Centaur Parade Had Record Crowd, and Was Safe

The City of Shreveport has shifted into high gear for Mardi Gras 2026. This weekend featured the first of the community's large parades, with the Krewe of Centaur rolling on Saturday. Which, according to Shreveport officials, can now be called Shreveport's largest parade.

After the Krewe of Centaur rolled, the Shreveport Police Department posted on social media that this year's Centaur parade drew a record crowd. In addition, SPD added that the parade was "safe and successful with no major incidents." Giving the city its biggest Mardi Gras parade in history, which means you could also call it the safest ever based on how big the parade was, and how safe SPD reports it to be.

Even with how safe this record-breaking parade was, there were some incidents during the event. Including a situation where a woman made contact with a vehicle that was hauling a float. The incident took place near Shreveport-Barksdale Highway and East Kings Highway, and involved a 24-year-old woman. Shreveport Police and Shreveport Fire reported to the scene quickly, thanks to their pre-planning and multiple stations throughout the parade route.

According to Shreveport Police, the woman did suffer an injury to her lower body, but is expected to recover.

Investigators on the scene determined there was no wrongdoing by the driver, the float, or the Krewe of Centaur, meaning the driver was allowed to continue hauling the float, and the parade was able to continue.

An investigation is ongoing revolving around the circumstances of how the female got so close to a moving vehicle.

First responders were so quick to the scene, the parade was able to continue quickly, and ended the route before 7pm. That means the last float crossed over the end of the parade before 7pm.