Celebrating 33 years

Carnivale Parade

Saturday, February 14, 2026

2026 Carnivale Parade

It’s tradition in Manitou Springs to parade down Manitou Avenue and celebrate Mardi Gras in true fun and funky colors that Manitou is known for! So grab your beads and costume-up with us!

This event is put on through a 501(c) 3 and is NOT a Visit Manitou Springs event.

2026 Theme: All You Need is Love!

The more the merrier, so bring your family, your neighbors, your co-workers, your friends, everyone! Always free to join in, RSVP REQUIRED.

be a parade volunteer

Get in touch today

We need help herding Mardi Gras revelers! If you have a big voice and personality, we need you. Email manitoucarnivale@gmail.com TODAY!

Congratulations to our 2025 Best Carnivale Krewes

Thank you to all who participated in the Manitou Springs Carnivale Weekend Community Parade. We had a good ol’ time!

Congratulations are in order for our 2025 Winning Krewes:

BEST LE GRANDE KREWE – Krewe Khameleon

BEST MANITOU FLAIR – Manitou Springs Drum Circle

BEST USE OF THEME – Manitou Marvelous Marionettes

Make your trip as easy as possible!

Cavnivale parade detour & Event Parking

Stop at any Pike Ride hub and pick up an e-bike for a quick yet beautiful ride into Manitou Springs. You can ride all the way to Soda Springs Park & park your bike at any bicycle rack.

Pike Ride is offering a discount code for your bike into Manitou Springs for Carnivale! Use BONTEMPSROULER on their website here and look for more bike parking information and the QR code.

Grab a bus! The #3 Metro Bus will be running all day and drops off at Memorial Park.

Rocky Mountain Ride will be conducting the #36 shuttle route that goes from Fields Park through Downtown Manitou and runs every 20 minutes. Last shuttle at 4 p.m.

There will be a shuttle from Manitou Springs High School with drop off at Hiawatha Gardens in Memorial Park. Last shuttle at 4 p.m.

The #33 Free shuttle for Manitou Springs will stop running from 12pm until 2pm on March 1, 2025 due to the parade.

Parking will be available for a fee at Hiawatha Gardens located in Memorial Park.

Free parking located at Fields Park.

Parking will be available at Manitou Springs High School from 10am – 2pm for a $10 donation to the FCA and AT Clubs. This is first come, first serve parking.

Carnivale Parade FAQs

Themes change every year, but the rules don’t. See below for some standard Carnivale practices.

Can I drive my sweet ride in the parade?

Some things never change. We’ve never had any motorized vehicles in the parade, and we’ll stick to that.

My pets are family! Can they come with me?

Yes! Your four-legged family members are welcome (or two-legged ones, for that matter!) Please consider that this can be a very busy and crowded day in Manitou Springs and not all of our beloved pets like big crowds, so if it’s best to leave them at home – please do. If they’re coming with you, just make sure they’ve got a leash and stay safe.

I want to watch - What's the Parade Route?

The Parade starts at Memorial Park (502 Manitou Avenue) and continues all the way Westbound down Manitou Avenue to Soda Springs Park (1070 Manitou Avenue). You can watch from anywhere along the route!

Can I carry one of the big CARNIVALE letters on a stick?

The letters lead the parade after the King & Queen, and are the centerpiece of the parade. We wish we could offer letters to everyone that wants to be a carrier, but our voted-in Carnivale Court will carry in addition to other “Manitou Royalty”. We’ll have puppets that need carried, though! So please email manitoucarnivale@gmail.com if you’re interested in donning one of the historic puppet characters.

Can I throw beads or hand things out?

It’s a parade, after all. Yeah, we know. Unfortunately, we can’t toss things like candy, beads, or other fun stuff. That’s a rule. Handing out flyers is also a no-no (That rule is about the environment). If you want to walk over to hand beads or candy to someone in the crowd, that’s ok. Just please keep the tossing to yourself!

Is this a free event?

YES! Always free for everyone. Come down and watch – or join in the fun!