BATON ROUGE - The Krewe of Southdowns kicked off the Mardi Gras weekend Friday night. The family-friendly parade has been rolling through Baton Rouge for the past 36 years.

“The Krewe of Voo-Doo has been here for 25 years. We love doing this because it’s such a family oriented parade,” Michelle Roach said.

Flashy costumes, cheerleaders, marching bands and parade-goers old and young came out to enjoy the tradition. Floats rolled down the streets playing catchy tunes and tossing plastic beads as torches lit their way.

The parade had many different elements, including 22 floats and 19 walking groups.

"People come to this community and live here because of this parade," Tad Holler, the President of the Krewe of Southdowns said.

Saturday, the Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade gets going at noon on Spanish Town Road. It winds through downtown and finishes up on River road.

Then Sunday, it's the nighttime Krewe of Comogo in Plaquemine. It starts at 7 from the Saint John the Evangelist Church, before ending at Grant Civic Center.