Denver may not be anything like New Orleans during Mardi Gras, but it sure looked like it during LoDo’s Dairy Block Mardi Gras parade on Sunday.

It just wasn’t like any normal parade.

LoDo’s “Petite Mardi Gras Parade” has been embraced by locals for the last six years.

Participants build and decorate mini parade floats for the occasion. Parade floats are judged and compete against each other for various awards.

Stilt walkers, jugglers, a marching band and the miniature parade floats took to the sidewalks of Denver to the confusion of some walking by.

The idea came from another New Orleans mini float parade, according to parade organizer Cole Huling.

“We knew we couldn’t shut down the streets down here and have giant floats,” she said. “We knew that Denver has its own flavor, anyway. It’s really amazing because it’s community building.”

Huling and her husband said the event is something the pair and participants look forward to most each year.

“This creates an atmosphere where people can come together and celebrate. But then leading up to it, people get together and spend time together,” said fellow organizer Mike Huling.

Omar Soubra and his son Nathan spent four days making their “La Baguette” mini float. The father and son team walked a French baguette sandwich float through Dairy Block’s alley and on the nearby sidewalks.

“It was super exciting to see how more and more participation is coming in and you know, the quality of the floats,” Omar Soubra said. “It was good.”