BRANDON, Miss. (WJTV) – The 5th annual Krewe de Roux will return to Brandon this weekend.

The Mardi Gras Parade and Block Party will be held on Friday, February 9 in downtown Brandon. The event will feature Mustache the Band.

The parade will offer a dazzling display of colorful floats and a festive atmosphere.

Brandon Elementary and Brandon High staff are two of the most competitive teams when it comes to their floats. Both teams work tirelessly for weeks ahead of the parade.

High school students hand paint segments to resemble a crawfish boil to give the float a New Orleans feel. At Brandon Elementary, students also worked to create Mardi Grad décor for their float.

The Gumbo Festival will be held on Saturday, February 10 at the Brandon Amphitheater. You will be able to indulge in the flavorful creations of the gumbo teams as they compete to win the title of Gumbo Champion.

It’s also the season for mudbugs! One of the busiest restaurants in Brandon is Mudbugs, which is located downtown.

“This is our 10th season in downtown Brandon, and we love being a part of the community. We look forward to having our return customers every season,” said Sandra Price, the general manager of the restaurant.

Crawfish isn’t all Mudbugs has to offer.

“Not only do we have crawfish, we have shrimp, we have crab. But then in our non-seafood, we have barbecue, we have barbecue ribs, barbecue wings, pulled pork. All of our rub is a family recipe that we make. Our wing sauce is handmade. Our hamburgers your hand patted, and we do an amazing pork nachos. We also have kids meals. We have cheese, quesadillas, grilled cheese. So, we have something for everybody,” Price said.

The Mudbugs gang even has a float that will participate in the parade.