Lanta Gras 2021 Turns Houses into Floats and Celebrates New Orleans Food
The 6th annual Lanta Gras Parade and Festival will be everything but a parade and festival due to COVID-19. Don’t fret, Lanta Gras 2021 has created opportunities for businesses, neighbors, Mardi Gras revelers and music lovers to be the event this year!
Lanta Gras 2021 is a week-long celebration from Monday February 8-Saturday February 13th featuring a House or Business Float contest, New Orleans Restaurant Week and social media features on the kids who receive music scholarships through the event host, nonprofit Lanta Gras. “This year we want to support our local businesses, give neighbors a chance for fun, and really share our impact all in a safe way.” says Lanta Gras president and co-founder Andy Greene.
Neighbors in Kirkwood, Edgewood, East Lake and surrounding neighborhoods can transform their front porches or storefronts into Mardi Gras floats for a chance to win best float and be added to the plaque at the Kirkyard. Groove Krewe won in 2020, which makes them the first Krewe to have two “Best in Shows”. Big Mask Krewe and Krewe of Debauche took “Best Walking” and “Debris” awards. Everyone will have a chance to tour the floats the week of February 8th and vote online for 24 hours on the 13th. More info at lantagrasparade.com
In response to COVID-19, Lanta Gras has created LG New Orleans Restaurant Week to support local restaurants and keep our stomachs happy. NOLA Restaurant week will help raise funds for the Lanta Gras Music Program which currently has 9 students taking virtual music lessons with Guitar Shed. Check the website under NOLA food for participating restaurants.
For the past six years, the neighborhood event not only brings fun to downtown Kirkwood, the main purpose is to raise awareness of the Lanta Gras Music program which provides kids with private music lessons. Currently providing 9 students annual scholarships, this is a decrease of 6 students due to the impact of COVID-19 from lack of schools being in session and virtual lesson fatigue. Lanta Gras’ 2021 goal is to raise enough funds to provide four kids from APS Jackson Cluster schools scholarships. Applications are open year round and awarded in the winter and spring. More information can be found at lantagras.com