Feast on ruby red treats at the
Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival

by Deborah Burst

More than a meal, crawfish boils are a springtime ritual and a passageway to south Louisiana culture. Faces buried in the steamy mist locals recant memories of their first peel with Maw Maw and Paw Paw. Nothing like a dose of cayenne vapors to open the sinuses, and don’t forget the yummy sides.

What better place to celebrate the ruby red crustaceans than the Crawfish Capital of the World--Breaux Bridge. Gaining international prominence, the Crawfish Festival attracts people from across the globe on the first full weekend of May for a three day feast dedicated to the infamous mudbug. Cajun food at its best, crawfish prepared in every way imaginable: etouffee, fried, boudin, po-boys, burritos, spinach boat, jambalaya, pies, stuffed pork chops and king of them all--boiled.

Each family has their own secret boiling recipe. It begins with a huge 10 gallon pot filled with water, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, lemons and a liquid boil seasoning. Set on a butane burner, the flame is cranked up and just as the water kicks up a rolling boil, the live crawfish are poured into the pot. Along with the crawfish is the “lagniappe” or the added extras: sausage, hot dogs, artichokes, small red potatoes, corn on the cob. There are no rules, just a vivid imagination.

And there’s more than just eating, those spicy critters set the stage for some toe-stomping, foot-pounding moves. From tiny tykes to 80 year olds, they never falter, waltzing across the floor while their legs and feet look like a roadrunner zooming across a steamy highway. So reeve up your engines with more than 30 of the best Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop bands including generations of local and regional songwriters and musicians.

 Need a refresher course? Attend one of many Cajun music workshops held in the festival’s heritage tent. A little more experienced? Two step your way to the Cajun Dance or Zydeco Dance contest. And for those of you who want to saddle up in a lawn chair, catch Sunday’s parade paying homage to the Crawfish Festival royal court and floats vying for the ultimate grand prize.

There’s never a dull moment starting Friday evening at 4:00 closing down on Sunday at 4:00. Enjoy Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, and the ever popular Geno Delafose & French Rockin Boogie or some of the loyal festers such as the Huval Family Band and the Al Berard Family Band. (insert Breaux Bridge Fest singer)

More to Celebrate

No trip to Breaux Bridge would be complete without a lunch, dinner or a Saturday morning Zydeco breakfast at Café Des Amis. Get there early they pack them in tight. After breakfast catch the local jamming at the Coffee Break less than a block away on Main Street right next to Lucullus Culinary Antiques. Art lovers will a find a gallery of local artists spread across the downtown area along with vintage clocks and victrolas at the Clock Shop.

Stop in at the tourism center located on the banks of the iconic bridge crowned with the crawfish sign. The ladies will be glad to load you up with maps of historic tours and downtown shopping. So bring a hat, sunglasses, plenty of sunscreen and a chair or two for a claw tapping, tail snapping good time.

All pictures courtesy of St. Martin Parish tourism.

Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Friday, May 6 through Sunday, May 8. www.bbcrawfest.com, (337) 332-6655 

Bayou Teche Visitors Center
E. Bridge Street
337-332-8500

www.breauxbridgelive.com

St. Martin Parish Tourist Commission, www.cajuncountry.org, 888-565-5939