NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – It’s a sight you will only see on Fat Tuesday.
At the stroke of midnight, New Orleans law enforcement officers and the city’s mayor make a clean sweep of Bourbon Street to close out a successful Mardi Gras season.
“It seemed like the crowds were so thick this Mardi Gras season,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. “I think this city saw Mardi Gras at a time we haven’t seen in a decade plus.”
Mayor Cantrell says this season’s triumphs are because of the collaboration of several law enforcement agencies with NOPD taking charge.
“Being able to pull off Mardi Gras 2023 with the unified command that went deeper than we’ve seen before,” Cantrell said.
NOPD Interim Superintendent Michelle Woodfork says she and her department were successful with public safety because of the heightened police presence along the parade routes.
“We were able to respond quickly to incidents in those areas and recover 157 firearms off the streets of New Orleans,” Woodfork said.
However, it wasn’t a completely clean slate. Five people were killed, including one along the parade route, and others were injured between Thursday and Mardi Gras Day.
“Our hearts always will remain and go out to those families and those who suffer, but overall, we know that we kept the city safe, we kept our visitors safe, we kept our residents, safe,” the mayor said.
Next year’s Mardi Gras will take place February 13, 2024.