Prattville Mardi Gras Parade Returns on Valentine’s Day with Family-Friendly Crowds

Prattville’s Mardi Gras Celebration returned to downtown Prattville on Valentine’s Day, drawing “strong crowds to Main Street and surrounding areas, with floats, marching groups, beads, candy, rub” as an original report noted. Vendors and children’s activities opened at 10:00 a.m., and the parade “will roll out at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 14th,” per the city’s event page, with the official parade route still listed as TBA.

The city named Barbara Simpson grand marshal for the 2026 parade. Prattville’s event materials note Simpson worked for the City of Prattville for 16 years before retiring in 2024 and “helped plan many parades, festivals, concerts, art exhibits and much more during her time with the City.” The biography highlights that Simpson spent years “manning a reflective yellow vest and helping guide floats and bystanders,” a detail residents recognized as emblematic of local volunteer leadership.

Organizers kept the festival compact and family-focused. Prattville’s official page says, “The Mardi Gras Celebration will open with food and specialty vendors and children’s activities at 10:00 a.m. There will be two vendor areas again this year so people will have plenty of food, arts and crafts and other specialty items to enjoy before the parade.” Vendors were scheduled until 2:00 p.m.; the food vendor application had already been marked closed while a commercial vendor application was referenced. The city promoted a 2026 Mardi Gras Parade App and listed the Cultural Arts Center at 203 West 4th Street, Prattville, AL 36067, open 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., and the Special Events office at 334-595-0850 for parade entries and questions. Cultural Arts Manager Mynecia Steele can be reached at mynecia.steele@prattvilleal.gov.

City officials postponed the original Jan. 31 date after a National Weather Service forecast showed a high of 31°F and a low of 16°F, prompting a city social media post that “Mother Nature really is really trying our patience.” Forecasts reported ahead of Feb. 14 put temperatures near 66°F to 49°F with mostly cloudy skies and the possibility of morning rain and spotty afternoon thundershowers, leading local coverage to advise that “you might want to pack an umbrella.”

The rescheduled Prattville celebration fit into a busy regional Mardi Gras day. The Montgomery Advertiser noted Feb. 14 “is going to be extra buy with three Mardi Gras events,” with Wetumpka opening its festival at 9:00 a.m. and staging its parade at 1:00 p.m., and Montgomery’s downtown celebration slated to begin later in the afternoon. For event follow-up, Prattville’s Special Events office at 334-595-0850 and Mynecia Steele at mynecia.steele@prattvilleal.gov remain the contacts for parade-route details and vendor inquiries.