Lafayette’s first Mardi Gras float parade of the season is set to roll Saturday. The Krewe of Rio, known for their bright colors and flashy throws, says they will roll rain or shine. 

Today News 10 took a look behind the scenes of the parade. 

This is our New Iberia float den. This is where we house and store the 24 floats that Rio present every year,” says David Munnerlyn. Munnerlyn is in charge of keeping the floats ready to roll for their 600 riders. 

The floats will leave the warehouse at 7 a.m. Saturday and take up about two miles of road as they travel to Lafayette. “All the floats will and up on Surrey Street starting at Pontiac point,” says Munnerlyn. 

Every year three of the flora get repainted and touched up. This year floats are loaded with over four 18-wheeler truckloads full of beads and throws.  “When the crew gets finished with this year we start getting ready for next year. It’s a year-long put together,” Munnerlyn says.

The Krewe of Rio Parade is scheduled to roll beginning at the intersection of Simcoe and Surrey Streets, then along the parade route before turning into Cajun Field at Gate 1.

Public Works crews will immediately follow the last float, moving barricades to the sides of the roads and cleaning up litter and debris along the entire parade route.