The University Program Council at UL Lafayette is adding a Krewe of Roux ball to go along with its parade, a Mardi Gras tradition for more than 25 years.
The UPC will host its first Krewe of Roux Mardi Gras Ball for UL Lafayette students on Thursday, Feb. 12. The semiformal event will begin at 8 p.m. at the Cajundome Convention Center.
“We will select a king and queen earlier that day during a cake-cutting ceremony, and they will be crowned at the Mardi Gras Ball. Dukes and maids will be recognized as well,” said Ruben Henderson, program advisor for the UPC.
A disc jockey will provide music, and food and refreshments will be served at the student-organized ball.
No registration is required to attend the free event. Students must have their student IDs scanned to enter the Cajundome Convention Center.
A ball is something many students have expressed interest in, Henderson said. “It’s a way for us to kind of enhance the current Krewe of Roux tradition.”
The Krewe of Roux Parade will roll through campus at 4 p.m. earlier that day.
It will travel down Rex Street toward St. Mary Boulevard, turn right onto St. Mary, then left onto Hebrard Boulevard. The parade route will end on Boucher Drive.
UL Lafayette students, organizations, departments, faculty and staff members can enter the parade. Cars, trucks are allowed, but floats are prohibited. Registered participants may walk in the parade.
The deadline to register is by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
The lineup for the parade will begin at 3:30 p.m. along Rex Street, in front of Griffin Hall.
University students and staff, as well as the general public, are invited to watch. Glass containers and alcohol are prohibited.
Participants will toss “throws” such as Mardi Gras beads, plastic cups and candy.
Following the parade, the 2015 Krewe of Roux king and queen will be selected during a short ceremony on the plaza between the Student Union and Cypress Lake.
Each duke and maid will be given a piece of king cake, and the king and queen will be chosen based on who gets the baby in their piece of cake.
Student organizations can nominate one candidate for duke and one candidate for maid.
The deadline to nominate candidates is 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
To learn more about Krewe of Roux Mardi Gras celebrations, visit louisiana.edu/kreweofroux or contact the UPC at upc.louisiana.edu or (337) 482-6936.