Have you ever chased a live chicken?

Here in Jeff Davis Parish, we have a country style Mardi Gras season! It’s called the “Courier de Mardi Gras”. We take to horseback and trailers on traditional Mardi Gras Runs. These start at day break and travel the rural roads of our Parish; eating, drinking, and stopping from house to house collecting ingredients for a community gumbo dinner to follow the run! This includes chasing live chickens thrown to the ‘Mardi Gras’ to catch for the feast! This is a tradition that we keep alive all throughout the Mardi Gras season, happening in small towns in our Parish.

We also host a number of hometown parades, complete with local ‘Krewe’s’ and lots of Mardi Gras Beads! These are family friendly and include live music! The weekend before Mardi Gras, the City of Jennings hosts the annual “Squeezebox Shootout” cajun accordion competition! This is a one of a kind event you must attend, and is then followed by the Jennings Mardi Gras Celebration and Parade!

Be sure to keep up with our event calendar to keep track of all of our Mardi Gras festivities: click here