South Louisiana food festivals – worth every bite

Let’s be honest: Louisiana does not have the ONLY good food in the world. But by any measure, our food is pretty darned amazing. How many places in the country can you go and not only enjoy fabulous cuisine, but also find it at great outdoor festivals? The answer: not many.

The month of May brings on some of south Louisiana’s best annual food events, so make plans to get in on the delectable action. Consider starting off at the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival – a quintessentially Cajun event in the heart of Cajun Country. Here you’ll find crawfish served in, well, about a million different ways! You can enjoy Cajun cooking demonstrations, a crawfish-eating contest and, of course, plenty of live music and dancing. Come learn the best technique for peeling and eating boiled crawfish, and get some tips on the Cajun two-step at the same time. For details, see Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival .

If you’re not quite stuffed after that event, drive on over to New Orleans for the Tomato Festival in Chalmette. It’s a great place to get a taste of the very first Creole tomatoes of the season! (See Tomato Festival) Later in the month, here’s another great opportunity to enjoy one of Louisiana’s signature dishes: The Jambalaya Festival in Gonzales. One of the largest festivals in the state, this family event features a championship jambalaya-cooking contest. You can watch the best jambalaya chefs stir the giant pot over a wood fire and get your own (first?) taste of the spicy rice dish. Naturally, the festival also offers Carnival rides and live music. See lots more at Jambalaya Festival .

Find information about many more Louisiana festivals (there are HUNDREDS) at LouisianaTravel/Festivals.