Bayou Vermilion Festival & Boat Parade

A celebration of and on the Vermilion River, this festival aims to increase awareness of the river as a viable source of recreation for Lafayette Parish. Highlights include live music, face painting and yoga, local food and drink vendors, fishing, bubbles, and the boat parade along the bayou.

This year's parade sets sail at 11:30 a.m. from Vermilionville with a celebratory toast by this year's Grand Marshal. The parade proceeds 10.6 miles to BVD's Southside Park. If you prefer a shorter journey, you can join the parade beginning at Camellia Boulevard Canoe and Kayak Launch and end at Southside Park, which is five miles.  Paddling participants are encouraged to decorate their vessels and wear costumes, and residents and businesses along the parade route are also encouraged to participate by decorating their yard, inviting friends and family over to watch the parade (please make your address visible from the bayou). There will be a contest for the best boat décor, the best costume worn, and the best yard decorations.

In years past, nearly three hundred water craft, including boats, kayaks, and stand-up paddle-boarders, have lined up in this community float. Those who do not live along the route can watch the parade at Vermilionville, Beaver Park, Rotary Point, or at the Camellia Bridge Canoe & Kayak Launch.

8 am–6 pm.  $10 to enter the boat parade. bayouvermiliondistrict.org.