re: Which Louisiana city outside of NOLA has the best Mardi Gras parades?

I think as with any parade, opinions can vary depending in where you're located along the route.

However, many floats in Rio this year did seem half-empty, and the riders often were more concerned with drinking than throwing.

I'm not in Rio, so I'm not sure if this is totally true, but I think Rio is falling victim to the "commercialization" of Mardi Gras. By that I mean that it was started by people that broke off of Bonaparte for whatever reason and it doesn't have the membership to support the big parade it wants to throw. I think many members invite out of town friends or business acquaintances to ride in the parade, and most of these people don't harbor the passion for Mardi Gras that locals do, so they don't ride fully prepared. The result is half-hearted throwing and more drinking in the parade.

That being said, I did see some awesome stuff at my spot on the route (Bayou State Pawn Shop on Johnston St.), like riders throwing entire stacks of cups, slinging 30 or 40 frisbees at a time across the crowd, heaving piles of beads on kids, and giving out quality throws like spears and stuffed animals.






I think any parade can be amazing or a let down for any one person, it's all subjective.















...but srsly, Bonaparte is the best parade in Lafayette.