Spanish Town — Flamingo Mardi Gras

When Canary Islanders asked to leave Galvez Town after the Louisiana Purchase handed it to the United States in 1803, they wanted to stay on Spanish soil. Carlos de Grand Pré drew them a grid east of the fort in 1805. Spanish Town became the neighborhood where their language and culture could survive in an otherwise Anglo city. The Civil War left most of it rubble. Freed slaves rebuilt it, then LSU faculty and students filled the blocks between 1890 and 1920. By 1981, the neighbors wanted to mark themselves as different. The first Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade was a handful of children on foot with instruments. Now it's the largest Mardi Gras parade in Baton Rouge. The parade runs on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday. There are no corporate sponsors. The floats carry crude political commentary about local and national figures. Krewes have names like "Krewe of Roadkill" and "Wasted Krewe." The unofficial mascot is the pink flamingo, which residents say represents "poor taste is better than no taste at all." Around the start of Mardi Gras season, approximately two dozen plywood flamingos appear in the LSU Lakes to announce the ball date. Stealing one by boat and planting it in your yard is considered an honor. The parade route runs through the neighborhood itself. Royalty arrives on a wheeled throne. The irreverence is the point. Arrive early for street-side viewing.