SLIDELL, La. — We are about two weeks shy from 12th Night, the official kickoff to the carnival season. With less than 30 days until Mardi Gras, the Slidell City Council is considering making a permanent change that will directly impact one krewe.
An ordnance the Slidell City Council is set to vote on tonight would move the Krewe of Titians parade date from a Saturday to a Friday. A week before Slidell's traditional two-week window, it allows for a carnival parade.
Council President Kenny Tamborella said, "They're requesting a permanent move to that first Friday."
This all boils down to one major issue, accessibility of floats. The change is needed because Tamborella said the Krewe of Titians had issues with securing floats to roll on the traditional Saturday date. With a combination of a limited number of studio floats in our area, back-to-back parades, and stiff competition from larger krewes, the Titian's Organization had trouble securing floats.
"We don't want to see any crew have to cancel because they can't get floats. We understand for whatever reasons that may be, if they can make a change in date that is on the city's calendar that accommodates Mardi Gras and allows for Mardi Gras parades to roll that night, we didn't see any reason to allow them not to do so," said Tamborella.
Tamborella said a parade committee did the groundwork to ensure this move would impact no other Krewe's or community entities.
He said, "We understand that the lining up of crews and staging crews and all those things is a big part of the planning process and we wanted to make sure we didn't impact anyone else. We're dedicated to putting forth a safe, fun, and exciting Mardi Gras for our residents."
Tamborella believes there is support for this ordinance. Tonight's council meeting gets started at 6:30.
This carnival season, Krewe of Titans will roll on Friday, January 26, 2024.
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