Cajun Crawfish (photo by Robin May, courtesy of Festivals Acadiens et Creoles)

Laissez Le Bon Temps Roulet! (Let the Good Times Roll!)

Festivals Acadiens et Creoles started in 1972, as an effort to keep Cajun culture alive. Since then it has grown into a 3-day event that attracts people of many different nationalities from all over the world. Whether you're among the young or the young at heart, you can bet that Festivals Acadiens et Creoles has something that will tickle your fancy. From Friday, October 10th to Sunday the 12th you can join the folks in Lafayette, Lousiana for good music, good food, and good times!

C'est bon (That's good) is the best way to describe authentic Cajun and Creole cooking, and nowhere in the world is the variety greater than at the Bayou Food Festival in Lafayette. Try fried soft-shell crab, seafood and artichoke lasagna, barbecue boudin, crawfish fettucini, corn and crab bisque, meat pies, catfish courtbouillion, wild game jambalaya, bread pudding and pralines. You can find all this and more as the area's best restaurants and caterers turn out to showcase their finest specialties.

Festival de Musique Acadienne will showcase the best of Cajun and Zydeco music beneath the spreading oaks of Girard Park. Festival de Musique Acadienne, celebrating 32 years of entertainment, originated as the Tribute to Cajun Music Festival, an event that was designed to attract and educate the younger generation to the traditional values of the Cajun culture. Festival de Musique Acadienne now attracts Louisiana's best Cajun and Zydeco bands and draws thousands of people from across the country and around the world.

Louisiana Folk Roots presents Cajun and Creole Music Jam Sessions during Festival Acadiens et Creoles. Jam sessions will take place throughout Saturday and Sunday in Girard Park. Anyone can bring an instrument and join in or just hang around and enjoy the great music of others.

The Louisiana Folk Roots Workshop Stage will immerse you in these different aspects of culture that are unique to Louisiana. Whether it's the music, the dancing, the language and oral traditions, the natural history of beautiful Louisiana, or all these things, Louisiana Folk Roots is your connection at Festivals Acadiens et Creoles to explore these traditions.

The Louisiana Craft Fair will present traditional and fine artists and craftspeople from across Louisiana. The Louisiana Crafts Guild, a non-profit statewide organization created for the professional craftsperson, hosts the Louisiana Craft Fair. Craftspeople will be on hand selling their wares at dozens of crafts booths. Some of the crafts available include wood furniture, jewelry, Houma Indian crafts, gourds, pottery, kaleidoscopes, stained glass, soaps, musical instruments, photography, pen and ink drawings and silk.

Festivals Acadiens et Creoles 2008 invites all the little folks to La Place des Petits! Enjoy French games, crafts, and music focusing on the rich traditional culture of Acadiana. Be sure to check out the tent behind the Folk Roots Workshop near the playground at Girard Park both Saturday and Sunday for tons of fun and a great way for les petits to learn about the heritage of francophone Louisiana.

To get more info on the attractions go to: Festivals Acadiens et Creoles