Starting Your Own Mardi Gras Krewe Is Easier Than You Think

🐊 KNGT 🐊 | Louisiana — So you’ve been out there during Mardi Gras season, beads flying, bands playing, everybody having the time of their life, and you think to yourself… “Hey. I wanna do this. I wanna start a krewe.”

Well good news. You can. And according to Visit Lake Charles, there is a pretty clear roadmap to make it happen without turning your first year into pure chaos.

First things first. What is a krewe anyway? Simple answer. It’s a group of friends that come together to celebrate Mardi Gras. Some krewes are big. Some are small. Some are all adults. Some include families and kids.

You gotta start with rules, or in this case by-laws. But trust me if you dont have Rules, this can go down the crapper pretty fast. The by-laws set up things like how many members, dues, all the important "adult" decisions that we need to have when we start a Krewe.

Next up is your Board of Directors. This is the group that are elected to make sure things run smoothly. President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary all the important parts and pieces.

Then come officers and committees. Costume committee. Parade committee. Social committee. Decorating committee. This is where people get to shine and take ownership. Spread the work out. It makes the season a lot more fun and a lot less stressful.

Money talk matters too. Dues should be clearly listed. When they’re due. What they cover. What they don’t cover. Throws, costumes, drinks, favors. Spell it all out so nobody is guessing later.

If you plan to have a ball, you’ll need rules on invitations, royalty, and presentations. Kings and Queens. Dukes and Duchesses. Maybe debutantes and ushers.

How do I register a Mardi Gras Krewe in Louisiana?

One big must-do step is registering with the Louisiana Secretary of State. Every krewe has to be registered. You can handle that online through the GeauxBiz system.

You’ll also want to connect with Krewe of Krewes, Inc. here locally. Just to make sure that you are following the rules setup here in Lake Charles.

Starting a Krewe takes planning, teamwork, and a little patience. But when you roll down the street, beads flying, music blasting, and your people riding proud, it’s all worth it. So go gather your friends and lets make this Mardi Gras Season the Best one EVER!