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Tag: Louisiana food festivals

Jambalaya Festival, Gonzales LA, May 26th through 29th 2016

Did you know that Gonzales, Louisiana is the Jambalaya Capital of the World? That’s what they decided to start calling themselves in 1967, the idea being that, along with a brand new Jambalaya Festival, the self-proclaimed title would help make a name for the town. And, you know what? It worked! Continue reading

Mudbug Madness, Shreveport LA, May 26th through 29th 2016

Call ’em mudbugs, crawdads, crawfish, or crayfish – doesn’t matter a bit, as long as there’s a steaming red mound of the boiled critters in front of you, preferably accompanied by plenty of ice-cold beer and a zydeco band. Is that how you want to spend your Memorial Day weekend? Then point your car towards northern Louisiana (Shreveport, to be precise) for at the 33rd annual Mudbug Madness. Continue reading

International Rice Festival, Crowley LA, October 15th through 18th 2015

They claim that a quarter of the rice eaten in the U.S. comes from Crowley, Louisiana. Who are “they”? Why Crowley, of course! We have neither reason nor desire to question the assertion. Crowley is in Louisiana so, to our ears, it has the ring of truth. Crowley is also host to the annual International Rice Festival (that’s International, mind you, not National!). Rice, an unsexy staple grain, seems an unlikely subject for celebration, which simply serves to piqué our interest in this fest all the more. The party begins this Thursday, October 15th and will run through Sunday, the 18th of October, 2015. Continue reading

Louisiana Peach Festival, Ruston LA, June 24th and 25th 2016

The peaches that hang from the trees in north-central Louisiana orchards are ripe and ready to eat from mid-June through mid-July. Until 2011, some of these locally grown peaches were peeled and cut up by volunteers. Then the Louisiana Tech Dairy incorporated them into the locally beloved peach ice cream that was only produced for the two days of the Louisiana Peach Festival in Ruston (the flavor was too labor-intensive for year-round production). Continue reading

Jambalaya Festival, Gonzales LA, May 20th through 24th 2015

Did you know that Gonzales, Louisiana is the Jambalaya Capital of the World? That’s what they decided to start calling themselves in 1967, the idea being that, along with a brand new Jambalaya Festival, the self-proclaimed title would help make a name for the town. And, you know what? It worked! Continue reading

Iowa Rabbit Festival, Iowa LA, March 20th and 21st 2015

Easter’s coming! The secular aspects of the holiday are filled with cute little rabbits, from chocolate bunnies to the Easter Rabbit herself. So why not round up the kids and take them to the Iowa Rabbit Festival, which was begun in honor of the only rabbit processing plant in the region (now long gone)? The little ones will love the rabbit cook-off, won’t they? In what seems to be intentionally and deliciously perverse timing, the 29th Iowa Rabbit Festival takes place this year on Friday, March 20th and Saturday, March 21st in the town of Iowa, LA. Note that Iowa refers to the town; the state, appropriately enough, is Louisiana, where folks know their ways around the kitchen with the furry little animals. Continue reading

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