Crawfish Festival

The world-famous Crawfish Festival began in 1960 as a spin-off of the Breaux Bridge Centennial Celebration. The Louisiana Legislature had just named Breaux Bridge the crawfish capital of the world in 1959. The festival is now known around the country and even the world. Every May, thousands of hungry people flock to Breaux Bridge to be part of the festivities. The At the Crawfish Festival! Crawfish Festival has been written up in the New York Times and countless publications worldwide.

The people of Breaux Bridge strive to keep the festival true to its roots: an authentic depiction of our Cajun heritage. The festival remains a celebration of life here in south Louisiana, complete with real Cajun music, games, rides, arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations, and, of course, thousands of pounds of crawfish. The adventurous festival goer can sample just about every conceivable crawfish creation: boiled crawfish, fried crawfish, crawfish etouffee, crawfish dogs, crawfish jambalaya, crawfish boudin, crawfish pies, crawfish bisque, crawfish gumbo or whatever new dishes we’ve come up with in the last year. It kind of sounds like Forrest Gump’s partner Bubba describing the uses for shrimp. If you think you’re man (or woman) enough, enter the crawfish eating contest. The record is held by Nick Stipelcovich of Metairie, LA, who inhaled almost 56 pounds in one sitting. (Can you say “indigestion”?)

The Crawfish Festival has also become one of the largest gatherings of world-famous Cajun musicians. All weekend long you can hear the sound of authentic Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop music rising from the festival. Whether your musical taste is Cajun or Creole, you can witness over 35 bands perform over the three-day event if you think you have the stamina. It’s a perfect opportunity to see our musical tradition passed from generation to generation. Watch the Cajun dance contests, and if you’re brave, join in. There’s no better way to learn. There are even Cajun music workshops held in the heritage tent. If Cajun or Creole music excites you, there’s no better place to experience it than at the Crawfish Festival.

For more information on the Crawfish Festival, call the BBCFA Office at 337-332-6655, or check out the official Crawfish Festival website at www.bbcrawfest.com