The Latin Music Festival is one of the most renowned cultural events in Cajun Country. Every April, Lafayette is transformed into a vibrant stage for singers, songwriters, DJs, mariachi bands, and more. Traditional Zydeco and Cajun music, food, art, and crafts are showcased and taught in a series of workshops. The city center is filled with street artists, street musicians, food vendors, and over 300,000 visitors who come to experience the unique heritage of South Louisiana.
The second full weekend of October brings the Acadiens et Creoles Festivals to Lafayette. This 40-year tradition begins with the “Corte del Boudin”, where local dignitaries cut a boudin of almost two meters into slices and serve it to the first crowds to arrive. After the cut, a swampy pop band or a Cajun duet will take the stage to open the party. Cajun and Zydeco music fans will enjoy live performances on multiple different stages.
The festival also includes a gastronomic festival with demonstrations and samples by chefs as well as plenty of fun for kids. The French Food Festival, Criollo Classic Festival, La Fete Des Vieux Temps (“Festival of the Old Times”), and other events bring dishes, melodies, and cultural influences to life in the Louisiana swamp. The Latin Music Festival is organized by the Latin-Acadian Cultural Association (ACLA), which is a voluntary organization serving the Acadian community in general and its Latin American members in particular. This festival celebrates an American musical style that originated in the early 20th century and fills the streets with sounds, rhythm, and jazz music.
The Bonfire Festival on Christmas Eve is a long-standing Christmas tradition in Louisiana. ACLA works with the community to raise funds for programs that help all immigrants of Latino descent who reside in Acadiana. At the Breaux Bridge Crab Festival and Louisiana Crab Festival in St. James Parish, visitors can enjoy Cajun and Zydeco music as well as local flavors from many festivals in the area that combine cultural heritage and gastronomy.
Mardi Gras includes a series of cultural festivals such as the Black Heritage Festival of Louisiana in Lake Charles, Xavier University African-American Music Festival in New Orleans, and Adai Caddo Pow Wow which celebrates the heritage and cultural traditions of native peoples of Northwest Louisiana. Other popular festivals include New Orleans French Quarter Festival, Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival in Opelousas, and Cajun Music and Food Festival in Lake Charles which celebrate the region's musical influence. Finally, in Lafayette - “the happiest city in America” - you can find the largest international music festival in the United States. From traditional Zydeco to jazz music, from gastronomy to cultural heritage - Northern Louisiana offers an array of Latin American festivals that will make your visit unforgettable.
