HOUMA, La. — The bayou parishes are still recovering from Hurricane Ida nearly six months later, but they will get to celebrate Mardi Gras Friday night at the Krewe of Hercules parade.
The parade will include 34 floats and nearly 800 riders with almost $2 million worth of throws.
"The streets are going to be packed. Tomorrow in Houma, I guarantee it will be packed," said S.P. LaRussa who founded the Krewe of Hercules 37 years ago. "This is the biggest parade in the tri-parish area. We're on the same level as Bacchus and Endymion."
LaRussa works with the Kern family of Mardi Gras World to showcase elaborate floats.
"We put a first-class show on," he said.
The Friday night parade will pass through areas that are still recovering since Hurricane Ida.
"Down the bayou, they are just destroyed, but I can tell you the people of Houma and South Louisiana are strong. They are going to come back. They're going to bounce back and it might take a couple years, but they're going to be on their feet, but I tell you what, they're going to be at this Hercules parade," LaRussa said.
With Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser as Grand Marshal, the krewe is paying special tribute to veterans this year.
"Nobody has ever done this," LaRussa said.
The krewe will stop at the H-TV balcony where veterans are invited for a special view of the parade.
"We're going to start playing American music and start celebrating for the veterans," LaRussa said.
After a year off in 2021 due to COVID and months of recovery since Ida, it's a celebration the Krewe of Hercules can't wait to share.
The Krewe of Hercules will roll at 6 p.m. Friday February 18. Download the WWL-TV Parade Tracker app to view the route.