4 Mar 2022

Jammin’ on the Bayou

2024-02-22T14:45:33-06:00

This jam session is hosted by musician Stanley Lee at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center in Opelousas, Louisiana. Musicians at any level of expertise bring an instrument and suggest their favorite songs. Bystanders can sit and listen in or dance along. The jam session is free and open to the public. Anyone can stop by and join in on the fun.

The jam is held every third Saturday of the month starting around 1pm. After the show, stick around the visitor center. One of our experienced Travel Counselors can point you to other points of interest in the parish. If you want to stay longer, they can even provide a tour of our award-winning, sustainable welcome center.

Jammin’ on the Bayou2024-02-22T14:45:33-06:00
4 Mar 2022

Cajun Mardi Gras Festival

2025-08-06T10:19:28-05:00

This five-day celebration is not your typical idea of Mardi Gras. There are no beads and doubloons here. Instead, in Eunice, Louisiana, men and women on horseback don hand-crafted wire masks, tall hats called capuchons, and colorful costumes. The main event is the Courir de Mardi Gras & Chicken Run. Here, revelers chase a chicken or guineafowl and participate in Medieval begging practices.

The courir takes place on Mardi Gras day and is only one part of the celebration. Starting the Friday before Mardi Gras Day, you can cut loose all weekend long. Dance in the street at music concerts and jam sessions. There are even activities for children and teenagers at the Lil’ Mardi Gras held on Sunday. Also on Sunday is an old-time boucherie (hog butchering).

The Eunice Courir de Mardi Gras dates back to when the town was first established in the late 19th century. The courir was abandoned for a few years during World War II, but in 1946 a small band of riders revived the tradition. Today, the Eunice Courir de Mardi Gras has more than 2,000 participants on the run. It continues to increase each year.

Learn more about the history of rural Louisiana Mardi Gras traditions here.

Eunice Mardi Gras
Courir de Mardi Gras and Chicken Run in Eunice, Louisiana
Eunice Mardi Gras at The Liberty
Mardi Gras in Eunice, Louisiana
Mardi Gras in Eunice, Louisiana
Cajun Mardi Gras Festival2025-08-06T10:19:28-05:00
4 Mar 2022

Here’s the Beef Cook-Off

2025-08-06T10:36:41-05:00

Calling all carnivores, foodies, and chefs. You get to be the food critic at the Annual Here’s the Beef Cook-Off in Opelousas, Louisiana as pitmasters and area chefs prepare their best beef dishes. The culinary categories include gourmet, brisket, roast, gravies and stews, tongue, and ground meat. That’s right; beef tongue is a delicacy in Cajun Country and can be sampled at the festival. If you think your cooking has what it takes to win, entry to the contest is $40. Call Jay Guidry at 337-351-1763 for more details.

Prior to the cook-off, an old-fashioned trail ride takes off at 8am. It’s $15 to ride plus you get tasty, authentic Louisiana cooking for breakfast. At the Here’s the Beef Cook-Off, for only $10, you can dance and hear live music by local Cajun-style bands starting at 10am and eat all the award-winning food you want.

This long-running annual event is sponsored by the St. Landry Parish Cattlemen’s Association, Cattlewomen, and the LA Beef Industry Council. The Cattlemen’s Association aims to educate people about the importance of the cattle and farm industry in St. Landry Parish and throughout the state of Louisiana.

Here’s the Beef Cook-Off2025-08-06T10:36:41-05:00
4 Mar 2022

Annual Gumbo Cook-Off

2025-07-30T16:53:07-05:00

The Gumbo Foundation cooks for a cause in Opelousas, Louisiana. Every year, area chefs gather to compete for the best gumbo. St. Landry Parish is a haven for gumbo with plenty of Cajun and Creole restaurants. Every household in Acadiana has a family recipe for their own brand of gumbo. With such variety, winning the best is a high honor. Grab a bowl of gumbo or dance along to live music with a lineup of Cajun and zydeco musicians.

This event isn’t just about great food. All the proceeds from the cook-off benefit a child whose family is burdened with medical-related expenses. Each year, a different child is chosen to receive help.

The Gumbo Cook-Off happens every year on the last Saturday in January. Enjoy good food and fun music all for a good cause.

Visit their event page to learn how to join the cook-off or for event updates.

Gumbo Cook-Off in Opelousas, Louisiana
Gumbo Cook-Off in Opelousas, Louisiana
Gumbo Cook-Off in Opelousas, Louisiana
Gumbo Cook-Off in Opelousas, Louisiana
Annual Gumbo Cook-off in Opelousas, Louisiana
Gumbo Cook-Off in Opelousas, Louisiana
Annual Gumbo Cook-Off2025-07-30T16:53:07-05:00
4 Mar 2022

World Championship Crawfish Étouffée Cook-Off

2025-08-06T11:09:23-05:00

The Eunice Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Eunice, proudly presents the 39th Annual World Championship Crawfish Étouffée Cook-off.

This event features professional and amateur cooks vying for the title of “World Champion.” Taking place in the city of Eunice this is one of the best ways to taste crawfish in Louisiana. Teams will compete to see who can cook the best crawfish étouffée in three categories: Amateur, Professional and Best Decorated Booth. Once the judges have their samples from the booths, the public can buy the crawfish étouffée directly from the participants. Vote for your favorite to win the People’s Choice Award. The winners will be announced around 3:30pm.

Join us on Saturday, March 28, at the Pavilion at 651 Samuel Drive in Eunice from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM as we celebrate 39 years of Cajun culture, music, and mouthwatering étouffée.

Enjoy live Cajun and zydeco music (starting at 10am). Stay tuned for the lineup.

There will also be arts and crafts, a petting zoo, pony rides, fun jumps, and more fun activities for the whole family. World Championship Crawfish Étouffée Cook-off is now held on the last Saturday in March every year. Admission and parking are free.

World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-Off in Eunice, Louisiana
World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-Off in Eunice, Louisiana
World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-off
World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-Off in Eunice, Louisiana
World Championship Crawfish Étouffée Cook-Off2025-08-06T11:09:23-05:00
4 Mar 2022

Lebeau Zydeco Festival

2025-11-26T15:16:13-06:00

It’s all zydeco music, all day long at the Lebeau Zydeco Festival. From the place that gave us zydeco hits like, “Don’t Mess With My Toot Toot” comes an annual celebration of the genre and its roots in the Creole community. Located on the grounds of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lebeau, Louisiana, this festival was made for the fans. It features the most popular zydeco music bands in South Louisiana. Bring a dancing partner, maybe a lawn chair, and an appetite. The festival is famous for its pork backbone dinners.

For Lebeau’s 34th Annual Zydeco Fest on July 4th. Stay tuned for the live music line up.

No BBQ pits, ATVs, glass containers, or ice chests/coolers allowed. This festival is held annually on the first Saturday of July.

Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for kids.

Get your festival shirt by contacting Theresa Rideau at 337-257-9457. Vendors call Geneva at 337-945-4238. For more information call Geneva at 337-945-4238, Mayor Irving at 337-351-3902, or the parish office at 337-623-0303.

Lebeau Zydeco Festival
Lebeau Zydeco Festival
Lebeau Zydeco Festival
Lebeau Zydeco Festival2025-11-26T15:16:13-06:00
4 Mar 2022

Juneteenth Folklife Celebration

2025-08-06T11:52:12-05:00

The Juneteenth Folklife Celebration highlights the folk art, heritage, and traditions of African-American culture in St. Landry Parish. Rebecca Henry, owner of the Creole Heritage Folklife Center, hosts the event. She is a child of sharecroppers, artist, and a wealth of cultural knowledge. This celebration pays tribute to the date when Texas slaves first heard the news of their freedom.

On Saturday under the Farmers Market Pavilion in Opelousas from noon to 4pm, you will be able to listen to live music and traditional dancing. It’s going to be a great time. See original folk art and learn about the heritage and traditions of the region. As this is a family-friendly event, no alcohol is sold or allowed on-site.

Juneteenth Celebration in Opelousas, Louisiana
Juneteenth Celebration in Opelousas, Louisiana
Juneteenth Celebration in Opelousas, Louisiana
Juneteenth Folklife Celebration2025-08-06T11:52:12-05:00
4 Mar 2022

Congé

2025-02-28T09:47:13-06:00

Congé is a spring celebration held on the breathtaking grounds of the Academy of the Sacred Heart and Berchmans Academy in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Toss some confetti eggs with the kids as you play carnival games or test yourselves on the rock wall. There will also be games, live music, fantastic food, a silent auction, and a raffle.

The Congé Easter Egg hunt starts at 10am. Your child can take pictures with the Easter Bunny and find as many eggs as they can carry.

Congé2025-02-28T09:47:13-06:00
4 Mar 2022

Cemetery Tours & Historical Reenactments

2025-11-26T16:04:48-06:00

Spend some time with voices from the past at the St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery Tours & Historical Reenactments in the Zydeco Capital of the World, Opelousas. This historical group tour will transport you back in time. Reactors focus on a chosen time period in Opelousas’ over 300 years of history and dress the part.

You’ve heard of New Orleans’s famous haunted tours, but you’ve never seen a tour done by the ghosts themselves. Tour the cemetery where Napoleonic General Garrigues de Flaugeac and Louisiana Governor Jacques Dupré are interred with your ghostly guides. 

All proceeds from the cemetery tours fund the Cemetery Historical Restoration Project. The tours began in 2003 and, to date, 30-plus gravesites have been restored.

Saturday tours take place at 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm, and 7:30pm, while Sunday tours are at 2pm and 3pm. Handicapped accessible tours will be available. Call the organizer for more details. Bus groups are welcome.

St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery Tours in Opelousas, Louisiana
St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery Tours and Historical Reenactments in Opelousas, Louisiana
St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery Tours and Historical Reenactments in Opelousas, Louisiana
St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery Tours and Historical Reenactments in Opelousas, Louisiana
St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery Tours and Historical Reenactments in Opelousas, Louisiana
St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery Tours and Historical Reenactments in Opelousas, Louisiana
Cemetery Tours & Historical Reenactments2025-11-26T16:04:48-06:00
4 Mar 2022

Original Southwest LA Zydeco Music Festival

2025-11-26T15:39:44-06:00

Opelousas is the Zydeco Music Capital of the World and home to one of the biggest zydeco music celebrations, the Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival. In 1981, there was a real fear that Creole and zydeco music was dying out. To combat this, a group of concerned citizens organized the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival. Today, the event features the best performers in zydeco. Swamp-pop, swing, R&B, and southern soul enjoyers will also have a great time. It’s the perfect event to dance to your favorite zydeco musicians.

On Friday, enjoy the Zydeco Festival’s Kick-off Dance taking place at Evangeline Downs at 9pm. Tickets are $25.

The main event is at the Yambilee Building with music starting at 12pm. Stay tuned for the live music lineup.

The Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival is usually held the Saturday before Labor Day in Opelousas.

Gates open at 11am, but the music starts at 12pm. Admission is $25 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. No coolers allowed. RV Parking is $10/day (no electricity). No glass containers. No BBQ pits. No open flame burners.

Annual Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival in Opelousas, Louisiana
Annual Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival in Opelousas, Louisiana
Annual Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival in Opelousas, Louisiana
Original Southwest LA Zydeco Music Festival2025-11-26T15:39:44-06:00

St. Landry Parish Visitor Center
Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm

337.948.8004
978 Kennerson Road (I-49 exit 23)
P.O. Box 1415 • Opelousas, LA 70570

Visitor Guide (En)
Visitor Guide (Fr)

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