Le Festival de Mardi Gras a Lafayette attracts lots of people which means traffic.  Here’s what you need to know about parking before heading out to enjoy all the Mardi Gras fun this weekend.

Randall Mann has served as director for Lafayette’s Mardi Gras Festival for 21 years and says Cajun Field is an ideal location for Mardi Gras.

“It’s everything you need in one safe and convenient location.  We’ve got carnival midway, games, we’ve got rides, we’ve got 20 live bands on the Rouses Sound Stage over the five days and the parades come right through the festival grounds so what more could you ask for?”

Mardi Gras attracts a lot of people looking for a good time and that means traffic.  Mann says avoid Johnston and Bertrand and take West Congress Street.  The earlier you arrive, the better!

“The biggest mistake people make is getting there too late” says Mann.

The parking fee is $10 with spots available at Cajun field and SLCC.  There is also space at the red zone at East Lewis and Johnston and behind Olde Tyme Grocery.  Any lot with an open gate at UL-Lafayette is fair game, but UL’s Transportation Services Director Sharee Swallow asks that everyone be respectful of university property.

“Park legally, be mindful of the handicapped parking, and please be mindful of our students.  We have 2,000 students who live on campus.  We don’t know how many people are going to be here or not, but we want everyone to have a safe time and not have any worries.”

Lafayette’s Mardi Gras festival is full of excitement, but the fun comes with a lot of work that Mann doesn’t mind doing.

“It’s a labor of love. It’s a lot of work, but you know when we see the kids come out with their parents and their grandparents, sometimes the fourth generation all together, makes it all worth it.”