Top 10 area festivals

• By LISA TRAMONTANA
• Advocate News Features staff
• Published: Jun 14, 2009

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Louisiana residents will use almost any excuse to celebrate. That’s why there are festivals to celebrate everything from sausage to sauerkraut, jambalaya to jazz, and boudin to blues.

Baton Rouge is right in the middle of all that celebrating, so if you’re looking for great food, family fun, music, art and entertainment, you don’t have to look far. Here is a “top 10” list of festivals in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas:

Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival

In the spring, south Louisianians start thinking about the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, where bright, red, juicy strawberries are celebrated and consumed in mass quantities. There’s a parade, a strawberry-eating contest, baking contest, hollering contest, sack race and more. There’s also plenty of live musical entertainment.

Phone: (800) 917-7045

On the Net: http://www.lastrawberryfestival.com

 

Angola Prison Rodeo

The rodeo takes place at Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola. It’s been called the “wildest show in the South,” and it entertains visitors every Sunday in October and again in the spring. Rodeo-goers can watch inmate cowboys compete in convict poker, wild cow milking, bull riding and the well-known guts-n-glory contest. There are also  bands, food, inmate arts and crafts, and activities for kids.

Phone: (225) 655-2030

On the Net: http://www.angola rodeo.com

 

Festivals Acadiens