Highlights

• City Council put all changes to 2026 Mardi Gras parade route on hold indefinitely
• Council created 90-day Mardi Gras advisory committee that expires unless they renew it
• 19 people signed up to speak during packed council meeting
• Councilwoman Liz Webb Hebert proposed the deferral after hours of debate
• Current parade route stays in place for 2026 season

Lafayette City Council Defers 2026 Mardi Gras Route Change After Heated Debate

Council creates 90-day committee but puts Jefferson Street parade route on hold following hours of public comment and discussion.

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — The fight over Lafayette’s 2026 Mardi Gras parade route hit pause Tuesday night after the City Council voted to put changes on hold while creating a temporary advisory committee to review future decisions.

What Happened at Tuesday’s Council Meeting

According to KATC, what started as a meeting to review feedback from a recent Downtown Lafayette Unlimited survey about Mayor-President Monique Boulet’s proposed Jefferson Street route quickly became something else entirely.

Nineteen people signed up to speak at the packed council chambers, and after more than an hour of discussion, the council voted to change a previous ordinance forming the Lafayette Mardi Gras Advisory Committee.

The committee agreement will last for 90 days and will expire unless the council votes to keep it going.

Then District 3 Councilwoman Liz Webb Hebert moved to put off any changes to the parade route itself indefinitely.

“While I recognize the conversations leading up to the proposal began with the earnest goal of preserving and honoring our Mardi Gras traditions, I believe it has led to a proposed solution that gives us unnecessary government oversight,” Hebert said during the meeting.

Hebert said she wants the community to continue planning Mardi Gras as it currently does and revisit the issue next year.

What This Means for 2026 Mardi Gras

For now, changes to the 2026 Mardi Gras parade route are on hold. That means Lafayette’s parades will follow the current route they’ve used since the 1990s, not the Jefferson Street route Boulet announced in October.

The current route starts at the intersection of Surrey and Simcoe Streets in downtown, then travels along Congress Street, Lafayette Street by the public library, and includes viewing areas at Parc Putnam by the federal courthouse and Parc Sans Souci by the main fire station on Vermilion Street before turning onto Johnston Street.

Boulet’s proposed change would have brought parades down Jefferson Street through the heart of downtown, cutting out those traditional viewing spaces.

The Survey That Changed Everything

The council meeting came on the heels of a Downtown Lafayette Unlimited survey that showed 53% of downtown respondents didn’t want the parade route moved to Jefferson Street. The survey got 155 responses from downtown businesses, residents, and property owners.

That opposition, combined with concerns from City Council Chair Kenneth Boudreaux and other council members, built up enough momentum to hit the brakes on the route change.

READ MORE: Downtown Lafayette Says "No" to New Parade Route

Boudreaux, who represents District 5 where the parade route begins, has been the loudest opponent of both the route change and the way Boulet made the decision without consulting the council or affected neighborhoods. He said he got over 200 calls from constituents with concerns about the change.

What’s Next

The 90-day advisory committee will now have to figure out how future Mardi Gras decisions get made. The committee was created by changing a 1999 ordinance that formed a three-person advisory group that never actually met.

Unless the council votes to extend the committee’s life in 90 days, it will expire and the question of who controls parade routes will still be up in the air.

The deferral means Lafayette’s 2026 Mardi Gras season—which includes 10 parades over two weeks—will roll on the familiar route that’s been used for three decades.

Boulet has said she’s fine with creating a committee but wants it to include neighborhoods from across the city, not just those along the parade route. She’s also said she’s not tied to any particular route.

For Lafayette families who have watched parades from their traditional spots for 30 years, Tuesday’s vote means those traditions will continue at least one more year.