ST. LOUIS – Grab your friends this weekend for the Mardi Gras parade because the event looks to showcase incredible floats for attendees.  

The great Mike Ditka once said, “If you’re not in the parade, you watch the parade. That’s life.”

No truer words were ever said.

For Matthew Smith with the Shagadelics, he and his krewe are in the parade.

“We won five years ago with the Bon Vivant crew with our giant Marge barge, (a) 39 feet of Marge Simpson,” Smith said.

Wednesday porta potties were being readied to be put into place for the 46th parade.

They’re a key component of making Mardi Gras safe and accessible for all.

Floats parading down Broadway are something visitors can look forward to seeing.

“We bring in about $20 million to the regional economy every year,” said Bess McCoy, Soulard Mardi Gras organizer. “We have 300 volunteers and 25 non-profits that use it as a revenue builder for them as well.”

There are four designated entry points and five designated rideshare locations throughout the neighborhood.

And this year, Gravois between Lafayette and Mississippi will be closed after 2 p.m.

The two-hour parade starts off at 11 a.m., but the party continues.

Outdoor liquor sales will close at 6 p.m., but bars will stay open until 11:30 p.m.

 “I used to say 30 years ago it was drunks on a trunk,” said Bonita Leiber, creative director of Mardi Gras Inc. “You had a flatbed and some color, but it has come along to become a really beautiful parade.”