LAFAYETTE – Festivals Acadiens et Créoles announced the music and event lineup for the FREE Cajun and Zydeco music festival, with events beginning October 8 and running through Sunday, Oct. 11, at Girard Park in Lafayette. This year’s music lineup includes more than 65 Cajun and Zydeco bands — from Wayne Toups to Chris Ardoin, Jourdan Thibodeaux to Ruben Moreno, along with Bonsoir Catin and the Holiday Play Girls.
The full lineup of music and events is on their website.
Added to this year’s festival is a new sixth stage, Scéne 76, in partnership with the Smithsonian Festival of Festivals, which will showcase genres of music that influenced and shaped the sound of Cajun and Zydeco music over the decades.
“In recognition of the 250th anniversary of our country, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles is a celebration of our own regional version of the American melting pot, our own creolized gumbo pot of culture, music and cuisine,” says Barry Ancelet, Festival President. “And as part of what became America, South Louisiana has been and continues to be influenced by old-time Appalachian music, Delta blues, country music, swing, rock, jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, reggae and hip hop. In turn, we have also influenced the country and other parts of the world with the flavors of our complex cultural blend.”
As a selected partner of the Smithsonian Institution Festival of Festivals, the annual event received $100,000 in grant money, allowing festival organizers to expand its music and cultural programming. Festivals Acadiens et Créoles also awarded local musicians, Elise Riley and Eric McGoffin, scholarships to Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia, where they attended a five-week French immersion program.
“Our partnership with the Smithsonian is a great honor for the Festival and also for our community. As a Festival of Festivals event, we have been recognized as one of only 34 festivals in the nation for our remarkable cultural landscape,” replies Pat Mould, Director of Programming. “What we have always known about our community is now being recognized on the national level. We have a rich and unique cultural heritage, and we’re committed to protecting and building it.”
About Festivals Acadiens et Créoles: Festivals Acadiens et Créoles takes place annually in Lafayette, LA, at the heart of French-speaking Louisiana, also known as Acadiana, where the rich cultures of Cajun and Creole continue to thrive. The festival has hosted performances by musical icons and Grammy honorees, including Clifton Chenier, Chubby Carrier, Sonny Landreth, Cedric Watson, and the Pine Leaf Boys.
Since its inaugural event in 1974, the three-day festival has become the original and world’s largest Cajun and Zydeco festival, attracting visitors from across the globe. Festivals Acadiens et Créoles features performances by local musicians, cultural workshops, and local cuisine, providing an immersive and authentic experience of the region’s rich Cajun and Creole heritage.
For more information, visit FestivalsAcadiens.com.