NATCHEZ — Tonight, Mardi Gras floats — and hopefully some good times — will roll.

The Mystical Krewe of Alpheus Mardi Gras parade through downtown Natchez will begin at 6:30 p.m. The lineup will begin on Broadway Street at 4:30 p.m.

“We are looking at about 18 entries right, with 15 floats,” parade chairman John Goodrich said. “We are hoping it will be a good one this year.”

The theme of the parade will be “the games people play.”

The parade will be emceed by Desiree Smith, and local radio personality Eddie Ray will be grand marshal. Because the Krewe of Alpheus is a mystic krewe, those in the parade will be wearing masks to hide their identity.

“The Mystic Krewe of Alpheus, we are an alternative krewe,” Goodrich said. “When we started, to be a little more laid back was the initial requirement. We wanted to have fun.”

The parade lineup will start on Broadway Street, and will proceed down Broadway and turn left at Rosalie. When it reaches Canal Street, the parade will proceed to Main Street, and will turn right on Main and proceed to Rankin Street.

From Rankin Street, the parade will turn down Franklin and proceed back to Broadway, where it will end.

Next Friday, the Krewe of Phoenix parade will roll at 5 p.m., with lineup starting on Broadway at noon.

“This is the second year we are rolling at 5 p.m.,” parade chair Curtis Moroney said. “We used to roll at 4 p.m., but we decided to move it back because it makes it easier for people to get there at the end of the day.”

The exact Phoenix parade route is unsure at this point, but Moroney said it will be similar to the one the Krewe of Alpheus uses.

“It looks to be another good parade and we are keeping our fingers crossed that this rain will get out of here for Alpheus tomorrow and stays clear for us,” he said.

For more information about the Krewe of Phoenix parade, contact Moroney at 601-445-2475.