This Saturday, ten teams in the Southwest Region will compete in the second annual Mardi Gras Cup, hosted by Louisiana State University (LSU) Quidditch (Baton Rouge, LA).

Roadrunners keeper Trent Berryman grabs the quaffle, Roadrunners will be one of the teams making its first trip to the Mardi Gras Cup this Saturday | Photo by Paxton Casey

The squads descending on Baton Rouge, just one day before the world turns its attention eastward in the state to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII will be some of the top teams in quidditch. In addition to the hosts, No. 5 University of Texas (Austin, TX) (Editors Note: Full disclosure The author is the President of University of Texas Quidditch), Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX), fresh off a championship at the Bottom of the Bracket, and the runners up at that tournament Roadrunner Quidditch (San Antonio, TX), University of New Orleans (New Orleans, LA), Austin Quidditch, (Austin, TX) University of South Alabama (Mobile, AL), University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS), University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL), Loyola University (New Orleans, LA).

The tournament will be held at the LSU Parade Grounds in Baton Rouge on February 2nd; gameplay will  begin at approximately 9am on Saturday morning with pool play. The afternoon will consist of bracket play, as teams battle for the honor of taking home the Mardi Gras Cup. That evening, LSU Quidditch and LSU Potter’s Anonymous are co-hosting a Yule Ball that is open to all participants, spectators and their friends.

For more information on the Mardi Gras Cup (including an exact tournament schedule), see the Facebook Event Page.