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Music Preview: LA Cajun-Zydeco Fest

The annual summer fest brings a lineup of top-tier Zydeco talent straight out of Acadiana to the stage at Louis Armstrong Park.

Produced by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival is a dance-happy celebration of the music of Southwest Louisiana. Not only does the annual fest highlight the talent of both seasoned and new Zydeco artists, but it has expanded to encompass and share all avenues of the region's rich culture. It returns to Louis Armstrong Park June 11-12.

A mashup of French Louisiana and African roots, Cajun and Zydeco music are actually quite different from each other, but they’ll make you dance all the same. Just listen for the sharp accordion sound playing in conjunction with other various instruments to kick things off. Cajun music is a genre that arose in southwestern Louisiana from the Francophone folk music traditions of the Acadians. As distinct from Zydeco music, Cajun music is most often performed by white musicians. While Zydeco tends to incorporate elements of rhythm and blues, blues, and more recently hip hop and rap, Cajun music has historically been influenced by Western swing, rock ‘n’ roll, and country music. So, what happens when the rock ‘n roll sound of Elvis Presley and the New Orleans rhythm and blues of Fats Domino collide with the Cajun and Zydeco music of Louisiana’s bayous and Cajun prairies? You get a style of dance hall music that exploded across South Louisiana and eastern Texas that became known as “swamp pop.”

To help you plan the best fest experience, find the impressive two-day lineup below (with some insider tips for the Cajun and Zydeco-genre newcomers, too). 

Saturday, June 11

Sunday, June 12

Like all of our events, the Louisiana Cajun Zydeco Festival is completely free and open to the public – part of the community investment made by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. jazzandheritage.org.

Photo by Eric Simon, courtesy of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation

Sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation

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