Since 2010, music, food trucks and a parade have brought New Orleans, Louisiana, to Columbia. Music plays from three stages as crowds bathed in gold, green and purple dance. Some hold Louisiana beer or classic Cajun-Creole food. Kids run around with their goodies from a parade.
The 16th Annual Mardi Gras Columbia Parade & Festival will be hosted at City Roots urban farm on Feb. 14.
“In the wintertime … we kind of close up shop,” Lauren Johnson, the 2026 Krewe de Columbi-Ya-Ya Queen, said. “Football season is over, the holidays are over, and it's the first glimpse of spring — anything to get out of the house and bring everybody together.
Johnson has been involved with Krewe de Columbi-Ya-Ya, the nonprofit team behind the event, since the beginning. Her husband and three daughters loved to go to the parade.
The parade begins at 11 a.m. It is made up of community members riding bikes, driving golf carts and walking along with a parade. Lineup begins at 10:00 a.m. along Jim Hamilton Blvd.
"The costumes that people come up and wear," Music Kaptain Walt Moody said. "We don't ask people to dress up for this festival, but oh my goodness, there is a sea of purple, gold and green, like nothing you'd ever seen before. If you didn't know that you were in Columbia, South Carolina, you might think that you were in New Orleans."
A music festival follows the parade, with 19 musicians across three different stages. Artists will play bluegrass, rock 'n' roll, country and psychedelic rock. Every performer is Columbia-based
"We've got a really great, musical scene here in Columbia," Moody said. "A lot of folks don't know that, so I do my best to focus on local acts ...That's been a really big point of pride for me, is having a local festival and not losing the heart of who we are as a festival and what we're trying to accomplish."
A band plays at Mardi Gras in Columbia, South Carolina. The event is an annual festival celebrating the spirit of Mardi Gras and the lively community of Columbia.
Mardi Gras Columbia Parade & Festival began in 2010 when Keith Willoughby of Wil-Moore Farms lost his baby chick barn to a fire. Founders Tom Hall, Eric McClam, Emile DeFelice and Kristian Niemi threw a party and parade at City Roots to fundraise for a replacement.
Hall passed in 2024, but his charity lives on each year at Mardi Gras Columbia.
"We're a nonprofit," Krewe Kaptain and 2024 queen Dawn Hunt said. "We just kind of usually do kind of an assessment of other nonprofits that might could use some of the money from it. So we try to really spread out, reap the rewards of the festival and be charitable to those organizations that might need it, that might not get as many donations throughout the year."
Face paint, artisans, beads and more will be at the festival, along with over 10 local food trucks, including Cajun-Creole classics. Beer and wine from BevSouth and Louisiana-based Abita Brewing Company will also be available. Cash is highly suggested for anyone wanting to purchase from trucks or vendors, according to the Eventbrite page.
Whether you go for food, music, adult beverages or the celebration, the excitement of a New Orleans Mardi Gras is present in Columbia, Hunt said.
"It's the camaraderie in the spirit of getting together, having fun, and then also, on the back end of it, giving back," Hunt said. "It's kind of a wonderful, wonderful day."
The parade is free, and tickets to the festival are $10 and free for children under 12 and under. A full line-up of performers can be found on Eventbrite. Tickets can be bought in person or online. Additional information can be found on the same site.