PENSACOLA, Fla. ( WKRG ) — A jampacked weekend of Mardi Gras celebrations in Pensacola.
It all starts Friday night with the Krewe of Lafitte Illuminated Parade in downtown Pensacola.
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“It’s a year-long preparation for the one week we get to do our thing,” Krewe of Lafitte President Reid Radford said.
Road closures will begin downtown Friday around 4:30 p.m. on Spring Street and around 5 p.m. on Palafox and Garden Streets as well as Gregory and Chase Streets.
The parade will begin at 7:30 p.m., and paradegoers will flock to the streets ready to catch the best throws.
“We make it rain no doubt,” Radford said. “What we’ve learned over the last couple of years is people don’t really want beads anymore. They want swords and footballs and plush animals.”
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However, Friday night’s parade is just the start. Saturday, Pensacola’s Grand Mardi Gras Parade will roll through at 2 p.m. The Krewe of Wrecks Parade will take place on Sunday at Pensacola Beach at 2 p.m.