L E I S U R E + E V E N T S
KREWE DE CANAILLES
Eco-Friendly Walking Parade Embraces Old Mardi Gras Traditions and Adds a New Spin on the Revelry By Leah Richard “It felt to us like there wasn’t as much excitement around Lafayette Mardi Gras like there used to be. More and more people are going out of town, experiencing Mardi Gras in Nola or just staying home.” Blaze Petersen and his krewe weren’t about to let Lafayette Mardi Gras fade into oblivion. After assembling a likeminded group of friends, Krewe de Canailles was born. In 2017, a few friends had similar ideas about doing something different in the Lafayette Mardi Gras scene. “We were all in a similar age group and we all looked back at how Mardi Gras used to be,” explains Petersen. “Attendance, with the exception of Rio, was down at parades. We saw an opportunity to make something fun and interesting.” Fun and interesting is exactly what the only walking parade in Lafayette was going for. They put together a krewe dedicated to Lafayette’s immense local artistic community and combined that with their shared love of Lafayette and its culture. They also saw an opportunity to bring people to downtown. “Krewe de Canailles is committed to showing love for the city of Lafayette, promoting and providing an outlet of creative expression in the community, and reverence to the historic tradition of walking parades in Louisiana Mardi Gras,” Petersen says. “We do this in in an open, inclusive, and earth-conscious manner.” 38
Krewe de Canailles believes that by doing things this way they will enrich the local Mardi Gras experience for the entire community. It’s been a resounding success. This year the Krewe and fans of the all things canailles will gather on Valentine's Day to parade through downtown Lafayette and end with a part at Warehouse 535. The theme, “Louisiana Festivals.” “We want anyone who wants to be a part of a Mardi Gras krewe to be able to without paying a hefty membership fee and spending a lot on costumes.”
Their inclusive nature isn’t the only thing unique about Krewe de Canailles. Petersen says they are proud of their eco-friendly nature of the walking parade as well. “The eco-friendly aspect of our mission was super important from the beginning. Mardi Gras produces literally tons of non-recyclable trash each year, and we did not want to be a part of that.” The aftermath of Mardi Gras can be seen all over the streets of Lafayette. Street after street lined with plastic beads; Petersen explains that throwing beads is part of the tradition for other krewes, but it wasn’t quite right for the Krewe de Canailles. 337M A GA ZIN E.C O M
V O L U ME 6 I S S U E 1
