Spanish Town Parade asks for usual irreverence but inclusion

BATON ROUGE – Organizers of the obscure and intentionally irreverent yet immensely popular Spanish Town Parade are asking parade-goers to embrace each other's differences this year.

In a post on the organizer's Facebook page, Spanish Town officials shared thoughts about inclusiveness. As The Advocate newspaper pointed out later, the 2017 parade rolls amid political turmoil, strained relationships in the city itself and follows at least two years of some outcry over floats in the parade. In 2016, some were offended over a “Pink Lives Matter” float on the heals of the “Black Lives Mater” movement across the country. The year before, there were allegations a float made fun of sexual abuse.

In 2017, organizers are asking everyone to honor the parade's intention of ignoring “the rules of decorum and convention” but remember that after the parade, people can “dance together regardless of what part of town (or the political spectrum)” they originate.

“Krewes of the Spanish Town Parade deploy a wicked sense of humor and unparalleled smarts to be entertainingly taboo without degrading anyone based on gender, race, sexual preference, or religion,” the post reads on Facebook.

Amid controversy last year, festival organizers said they were not going to sensor floats.

The 2017 parade takes to the usual Spanish Town route on Saturday, February 25 at noon with the theme “Come Hell or High Water; It's Slipper When Wet.”

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