Crawfish Festival

Each year, the town of Breaux Bridge devotes a full weekend to paying tribute to the humble crustaceans we all know and love … by doing its best to eat them all. The ways Cajuns have devised to consume crawfish are pretty much limitless, and this is the festival at which to try them all. Why stop at étouffée when you can also have fried crawfish, crawfish boudin, crawfish poboys, crawfish sausage, crawfish boulettes, crawfish jambalaya, crawfish egg rolls, crawfish dogs and, of course, boiled crawfish by the ton. No one seems to have come up with a crawfish dessert yet, but we assume it’s only a matter of time.

Top Cajun and zydeco bands play throughout the weekend, so bring your dancing shoes—this year's headliners include Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, Corey Ledet, Kegan Navarre & Louisiana Traditions, and many more. But don’t miss the contests: root for the quickest crustaceans at the “World Famous Crawfish Races;" enter a crawfish-eating contest; or show off your culinary skills at the Crawfish Etouffée Cookoff. If you can still walk after the crawfish eating contest, two-step over to the Cajun and zydeco dance contests afterward or stroll among the festival’s arts and crafts booths for a souvenir. The famous parade rolls at 9:30 am on Sunday morning. A claw-tapping, tail-snapping good time is promised all three days at Parc Hardy. 4 pm–midnight Friday; 10 am–midnight Saturday; 9 am–4 pm Sunday. $5 Friday & Sunday, $10 Saturday, or $15 for a three-day pass. bbcrawfest.com.