Postponed Mardi Gras parades in Terrebonne are finally canceled
It s official: There will be no Carnival parades in Terrebonne Parish in 2021 due to concerns over the continued coronavirus pandemic.
Any remaining hope for the postponed parades to roll has been dashed after a meeting Tuesday evening of local officials and Mardi Gras krewes at the Terrebonne Sheriff s Office motor pool in Houma.
The annual Irish-Italian Parade in Houma was also canceled at the meeting.
There was no vote taken of the krewe leaders at the meeting. Parish President Gordy Dove said the decision to cancel the parades was his in tandem with Sheriff Tim Soignet.
Mark Pitre, president of the Krewe of Hercules, said the tentative date for his krewe s parade is April 9. The other parades would roll during one of the next three weekends, roughly in the same order they normally do.
Hercules, the largest local krewe, would still be the first parade to roll in Terrebonne as in a normal Mardi Gras season, but it will not happen if the pandemic still rages. The safety of our members and the people come first, Pitre said. The sheriff was very positive. He wants us to ride, but he wants to make sure that the numbers are there for us to do this. We want to ride in April but only if it s safe for the public and our members.