The Black Pot Cook-Off is a family-friendly event taking place at the Yambilee Ag Arena in Opelousas. Enjoy a live performance by Mathew Ewing and the All-Star Band and taste the best of good ole, amazing Louisiana black pot cooking.
Admission is $5, but kids 12 and under can enter for free. For more information, you can call 337-945-3062 or 337-290-0837
The Cajun Prairie Society is hosting their very own boucherie on Saturday, March 18th starting at 9am with the festivities continuing into the next day.
Patrons that join in for both days will have the opportunity to be involved in the entire process from harvesting to cooking. Living through these authentic traditional activities lends you a better appreciation of the sacrifice that farmers and their livestock give every day.
For those coming only on Sunday, you will see the processing and complex array of dishes prepared with the meat from the freshly harvested pig. Live music, food, and drink will be provided for the celebration. The activities will start in the morning and cooking will continue all day with dishes prepared for lunch and throughout the afternoon and evening.
A boucherie is a community coming together to harvest an animal. Due to the intensive labor involved in whole animal butchering, a farmer would call upon friends, family, and neighbors to assist in the task. This day of work turns into a celebration, with plenty of food, music, and spirits to go around. No one went home hungry or empty-handed. With the lack of refrigeration, this was the only time that fresh meat could be consumed. Most of the meat butchered at a boucherie was processed with the intent of preservation, with the understanding that not a single aspect of the sacrificed beast would be wasted. These are the core fundamentals of Cajun cuisine. Boudin and boudin noir, gratons, fraisseurs, saucisse de voile, backbone fricasse, head cheese, tasso, chaudin, panse and saucisse de graisse are all products of this philosophy.
Tent camping spots are available.
General Admission tickets for both days are $100 or $75 for Cajun Prairie Society Members. Sunday-only tickets are $30. To purchase discounted tickets for ‘Cajun Prairie Society members’ please visit www.CajunPrairie.org and sign up for a membership before purchasing a member ticket.
Funds raised from this event will go to a Cajun Prairie documentary that is currently under production. Participation in this event will directly help the goals of the Cajun Prairie Society in their efforts to preserve, manage and teach about the native prairie of the region.
Atelier de la Nature in Arnaudville and Slow Hike Company’s John Nettles join together to host an educational foraging walk. Learn about wild edibles, medicinal plants, and tasty mushrooms. Afterward, Atelier’s Aurore Ballengée will lead a cooking demonstration with the wild edibles for a tasting.
The event is free but registration is required. Multilingual accessibility (French/Spanish/English). Please contact Atelier de la Nature for other accessibility requests.
It’s suggested that you bring:
Jason Williams and Clint Robin perform for Country and Western Night at Musique’s Southern Cuisine Bar & Grill in Opelousas. From 6pm-9pm, you can enjoy good music while you eat delicious food. Musique’s is famous for its shrimp fried rice, but they also have tasty burgers, fried fish, and more comfort food than you can eat.
Celebrate at Saint-Luc French Immersion School in Arnaudville, Louisiana. This former hospital turned educational and cultural organization that seeks to revive and sustain the French language tradition in Louisiana. They are hosting a celebration and learning experience on October 9th from 1:30pm to 6pm with great food, music, and plenty of art vendors and craftsmen.
There will be a ton to eat and drink including plate lunches from Pepper’s homestyle catering, croissants, cookies, and pastries from Paradiso Cake, fruit and veggie drinks from Jolly Moon, and sandwiches from Bib Belly Sandwiches.
Enjoy informational demos and vendors including spinning arts, cotton products, art displays, basketweaving, chair caning, writing, and more. There will even be live music by La Patente, a traditional band out of New Brunswick, Canada, and the Potluck Band.
The Sauce Picante Cook-Off taking place at Lakeview Park & Beach in Eunice is an annual cooking event that you won’t want to miss. Sauce Picante is a traditional Creole and Cajun dish that includes a spicy sauce typically with a tomato base all over rice. At this event, area chefs will compete with their best renditions of this iconic dish. Samples will be available for guests to taste and vote on. Cameron Fontenot & the Rhythm Aces will play from 2pm-4pm and Dustin Sonnier & the Wanted is performing in the evening at 8pm.
It’s $15 to enter a dish and $10 for guests to get a wristband and sample all the tasty food.
Le Grand Hoorah returns to Lakeview Park in Eunice, Louisiana November 6-8. Enjoy Cajun cuisine, plus French language experiences, dancing, special events, outdoor fun, and optional camping.
“Our festival is about creating and fostering relationships focused on preserving the music, food, language and folk arts of the people of Acadiana,” explained Gilbert “Winky” Aucoin, President of the event’s nonprofit.
Le Grand Hoorah is known for preserving and supporting its region’s roots. As part of the nonprofit’s mission to support musical and cultural organizations, proceeds each year are in part donated to various organizations including ACA’s (Acadiana Center for the Arts) Courtney Granger Memorial Award, the Christopher Stafford Memorial Foundation Fund, and Love of People this year.
Learn more at LeGrandHoorah.com. Campsite spaces can be reserved via Lakeview Park at LVPark.com.
Who thinks they can become the Catch Fish King? Come cook your best catfish recipe (cooked any way you’d like) and join this fishing tournament at Riverview RV Resort in Krotz Springs on Saturday, June 19.
Registration for the fishing tournament is $25 per person. Fishing lasts from 7am on Saturday with a final weigh in on Sunday at 5pm. There should be no more than 3 people per team. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will win a cash prize and there’s a trophy for the biggest catch.
The cook-off is on June 20th and is $40 per team. Set up and registration is from 8am-10am. General admission bracelets may be purchased at front entrance building. $10 per person, 12 & under FREE. Judging starts at 2:30pm. Stay tuned for the live music.
Those who aspire to be the Catch Fish King must place in both categories.
Register by calling 337-351-4260.
On October 29th, head to La Casetta at the Farm in Melville, Louisiana for an unforgettable concert. Check out James McCann, Taylor McCann, and Northbound Drifters as they perform on the sprawling and secluded grounds of the hunting lodge turned event venue.
Opt in for the 1 hour tour to see their sugarcane, cattle, and grain operations from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm. Immediately following will be the concert that’ll continue until 7:30 pm.
Heartland Tours’ is hosting this event as part of their Louisiana Farm Tour this fall. If you don’t want the full three-night tour of the agriculture industry in Louisiana, you can still have fun by hopping in at La Casetta on Saturday for the concert for only $30 per ticket. Stay tuned to their Facebook Page for ticket information.
On May 28th, the cast members of “The Bold and Beautiful” make their way to The Little Big Cup in Arnaudville. Join them for an evening of Cajun hospitality to raise money for the Cancer Support Community. Tickets come with soft drinks and access to The Little Big Cup’s famous buffet.
Tickets are $150 and are available on their website.
