CITY ARTS : From La. to L.A.

Colorful parasols will brighten a parade down Crenshaw Boulevard that kicks off the sixth annual Louisiana to Los Angeles Festival (LALA) at Leimert Park on Feb. 6. It is a coincidence that LALA is about the same time as traditional Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans, said Sandra Rivkin, a representative of the City Cultural Affairs Department.

The festival, which drew more than 5,000 last year, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offer a continuous lineup of music from blues to Zydeco.

A Mardi Gras parade will start at 9 a.m. at 60th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard and travel north on Crenshaw to Leimert Park. Festival highlights will include Creole and Cajun food, an arts-and-crafts sale and a gumbo cook-off.

Rivkin attributes the festival’s popularity to the closeness of Louisiana transplants who call Los Angeles home. Organizers work hard to bring Cajun, Creole and black Angelenos together to celebrate their Southern heritage, she said.

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Louisiana to Los Angeles Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at Leimert Park; 9 a.m. parade; (213) 485-2437 or (310) 841-2807.