Elsewhere in Louisiana
Mardi Gras is a legal holiday in Louisiana. Other places in the New Orleans metropolitan area also have celebrations; notably the suburbs of Metairie, La Place and Chalmette have large parades. Without the restrictions on commercial sponsorship of parades seen in Orleans Parish, there is much advertising and trademark placements on the parades in Metairie. Metairie parades also tend to be more family-oriented, and even include a children's parade.
Houma, Louisiana hosts a significant Mardi Gras celebration of nine parades, three of which roll on Shrove Tuesday, and the others on the two weekends preceding the big day. Oldest of the parading organizations or krewes is the Krewe of Houmas, which has rolled since 1948 and attracts about 70,000 spectators on Mardi Gras afternoon. The nearby town of Thibodaux, Louisiana has celebrated Mardi Gras each year since 1955. There, the Carnival calendar includes five parades, the oldest being the Krewe of Chronos and which attracts about 20,000 parade- goers. The Krewe of Cleophas, held on the Sunday afternoon preceding Mardi Gras in Thibodaux, is one of the nation's longest, with more than 40 floats being featured. Lake Charles, in southwest Louisiana, hosts a Krewe of Krewes parade, which is billed as the second largest parade in the state. It also hosts parades for children and even pets. Many other cities and towns throughout southern Louisiana are the scene of Mardi Gras parades in the weeks leading up to Shrove Tuesday and some also on that day. These communities include Covington, Mandeville, Golden Meadow, Lockport, Larose, Grand Isle, Morgan City, Berwick, Patterson, Jeanerette, Grand Marais, New Iberia, St. Martinville, Franklin, Sunset, Opelousas, Baton Rouge, Bogalusa, Port Allen, Addis, Livonia, Maringouin and Norwood. Tens of thousands of revelers attend Baton Rouge's satirical Spanish Town parade on the Saturday before Mardi Gras.
In parts of the Cajun country of southwestern Louisiana, the traditional Courir du Mardi Gras (French - Running of the Mardi Gras) is still run, sometimes by maskers on horseback led by "Le Capitaine" who gather ingredients for making the communal meal (usually a gumbo). Participants gather in costume and move from home to home requesting ingredients for the night's meal. The requested homeowner may comply with their wishes, usually by giving some form of vegetable or live animal, such as a chicken or pig, to the members of the run. The homeowner will often release the animal and make the runners catch it. In many cases, if the homeowner refuses to give an ingredient, the runners will steal one. These Courir can be witnessed in Church Point, Louisiana, Eunice, Mamou, Louisiana, Ville Platte, and Elton, Louisiana. The costumes used in these events are often homemade, employing sheets, paints, and frequently masks of wire mesh, as well as traditional conical hats known as [[capuchons.
By the close of the 20th century, the celebration of Mardi Gras spread to North Louisiana, including parades in Shreveport, Louisiana by the Krewe of Centaur and the Krewe of Gemini and in Monroe and West Monroe by the Krewe of Janus. Alexandria also celebrates with parades and days of celebration.Other cities aswell hold Mardi Gras parades.These cities include:Minden, Springhill, Nachotches,and Columbia. Mardi Gras is one of the exceptions to the Louisiana law against wearing hoods and masks in public, the other two being Halloween and religious beliefs.
 

Galveston, Texas is home to a large Mardi Gras festival, the Island tradition begun in 1867, and which is held in the historic Strand District on Galveston Island on the Texas Gulf Coast. The first year that Mardi Gras was celebrated on a grand scale in Galveston was 1871 with the emergence of two rival Mardi Gras societies, or "Krewes" called the Knights of Momus (known only by the initials "K.O.M.") and the Knights of Myth, both of which devised night parades, masked balls, exquisite costumes and elaborate invitations. The Knights of Momus, led by some prominent Galvestonians, decorated horse-drawn wagons for a torch lit night parade. Boasting such themes as "The Crusades," "Peter the Great," and "Ancient France," the procession through downtown Galveston culminated at Turner Hall with a presentation of tableaux and a grand gala. The annual event draws 250,000 revelers from all over Texas (predominately the Houston metro) to Galveston Island each year.
Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi holds a traditional morning parade by the Gulf Coast Carnival Association (GCCA). Nearby Gulfport, Mississippi holds a traditional night parade sponsored by the Krewe of Gemini. Other parades include evening events in d'Iberville, Mississippi and Gautier, Mississippi. Damage from Hurricane Katrina has led to either deviations from traditional routes or parade cancellations in some locations.