For the Teche Area, January is usually a month filled with plenty of events and festivities, but for the first time in recent memory the parades and celebrations that usually take place will be mostly canceled.

The burgeoning signs of the Mardi Gras season that usually begin to show themselves during this time of year are gone thanks to most local parades and Mardi Gras festivals being canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parade organizers at the Bayou Mardi Gras Association said that every attempt was made to provide a feasible festival event that could still function within COVID-19 safety guidelines but, after every attempt to think outside the box failed, the parade ultimately had to be canceled.

Similar decisions were made in other Teche Area municipalities that provide a yearly Mardi Gras parade like Loreauville, Franklin and Jeanerette.

For many in the area, the cancellation of one of Louisiana’s most important festivals is just another disappointment brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The cancellation of community events that south Louisianians thrive on have been numerous over the past 10 months, and have affected everything from the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival to New Iberia’s Christmas Parade.

But as COVID-19 is still sweeping Louisiana at deadly rates, organizers say there is simply no way to provide the usual family fun in a safe way. Other annual events have been affected this month as well, like the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations that are traditionally held around the Teche Area.

The celebration of King’s life and legacy has been put on in New Iberia, St. Martinville, Baldwin, Loreauville, Franklin and other Teche Area communities for decades, usually accompanied by outdoor marches and church services with the holiday in mind. Organizers for the MLK events have felt the same pressure as Mardi Gras organizers.

Cancellations have been announced from New Iberia to Franklin as a result of COVID-19, leaving the holiday to go uncelebrated with public events.

For an area of Louisiana that prides itself on its local traditions, festivals and get-togethers, the pandemic continues to hit the Teche Area in a unique way. Let’s hope that this is one of the last times that south Louisiana has to begin a year this way. We can guess that when the usual concerts, parades, dances and fais-do-dos finally do come back for good, the fun of living in the Teche Area will shine more than ever.