Top 10 things to know about Acadiana

• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: Jun 14, 2009

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Cajun and Creole culture

The music, customs and food of Lafayette and the surrounding area are strongly influenced by French-speaking Creoles and the French Acadians who settled here.

The Acadians, or Cajuns, were expelled by the British in the mid-1700s from present-day Nova Scotia, and many found their way to Louisiana to create a new life.

Festivals

There are plenty of them. The biggest is Festival International de Louisiane, held each spring in downtown Lafayette.

The Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge follows closely behind, and Festivals Acadiens et Créoles is held each fall in Girard Park at Lafayette. 

For zydeco, check of the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival in Plaisance.

On the Net:

• http://www.festivalinternational.com
• http://www.bbcrawfest.com
• http://www.festivalsacadiens.com
• http://www.zydeco.org

Courir de Mardi Gras

This is the rural Mardi Gras, and it’s quite a different experience from the parades and social balls that mark the celebration in New Orleans.

Rural communities throughout southern Louisiana host Mardi Gras “runs,” where locals don handmade costumes and wander the countryside chasing chickens and tracking down other ingredients for a communal gumbo at the end of the day.

One of the largest rural Mardi Gras runs is in Eunice.