The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival

The Breaux Bridge Crawfish FestivalBreaux Bridge, Louisiana — the Cajun town that’s well-known for its intense relationship with the crustacean most of us know as the “crawfish.” The people of Breaux Bridge loved crawfish so much that the Louisiana Legislature awarded the title of the “Crawfish Capital of the World” to the city during their centennial celebration in the year 1959 (CYCLE ZYDECO, 2018). The following year, in place of their usual anniversary celebration, Breaux Bridge held its first festival. In honor of the title they received from the Louisiana Legislature, the festival was named the Crawfish Festival. Having this festival was a way to freely celebrate the original Cajun Culture and traditions — dancing, drinking, eating, and having a good time (Esman 1984, 50). The original purpose of the Crawfish Festival was to draw people in from the surrounding areas as well as those who were once residents of Breaux Bridge (Esman 1984, 52). Since the beginning, there have been many advances towards making the festival more diverse and enjoyable. A few big changes included merging both “black” and “white” parades in 1972, the introduction of carnival rides and hot air balloon races in 1974, and making the festival itself an annual event once again in 1989 (Breauxbridgela.net, 2018). Originally, the festival was held in the middle of the town but it was moved to a park named Parc Hardy to accommodate the large crowds, prevent traffic and uphold public safety within the city (Esman 1984, 52).It just so happened that the Crawfish season peaked at the same time that the Crawfish Festival was held, and those who were associated with the crawfish industry took advantage of such perfect timing. To reiterate — the crawfish industry was created after the Crawfish Festival. Most people know that festivals are usually started because of an industry promoting or supporting it; However, the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival was founded on Cajun celebration and it was not initiated by an industry (Esman 1984, 50). Though crawfish today is seen

Breaux Bridge, Louisiana — the Cajun town that’s well-known for its intense relationship with the crustacean most of us know as the “crawfish.” The people of Breaux Bridge loved crawfish so much that the Louisiana Legislature awarded the title of the “Crawfish Capital of the World” to the city during their centennial celebration in the year 1959 (CYCLE ZYDECO, 2018). The following year, in place of their usual anniversary celebration, Breaux Bridge held its first festival. In honor of the title they received by the Louisiana Legislature, the festival was named the Crawfish Festival. Having this festival was a way to freely celebrate the original Cajun Culture and traditions — dancing, drinking, eating, and having a good time (Esman 1984, 50).

The original purpose of the Crawfish Festival was to draw people in from the surrounding areas as well as those who were once residents of Breaux Bridge (Esman 1984, 52). Since the beginning, there have been many advances towards making the festival more diverse and enjoyable. A few big changes included merging both “black” and “white” parades in 1972, the introduction of carnival rides and hot air balloon races in 1974, and making the festival itself an annual event once again in 1989 (Breauxbridgela.net, 2018). Originally, the festival was held in the middle of the town but it was moved to a park named Parc Hardy to accommodate the large crowds, prevent traffic and uphold public safety within the city (Esman 1984, 52).

It just so happened that the Crawfish season peaked at the same time that the Crawfish Festival was held, and those who were associated with the crawfish industry took advantage of such perfect timing. To reiterate — the crawfish industry was created after the Crawfish Festival. Most people know that festivals are usually started because of an industry promoting or supporting it; However, the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival was founded on Cajun celebration and it was not initiated by an industry (Esman 1984, 50).

Though crawfish today is seen as a celebratory food, it wasn’t always viewed in such a positive light. There was a time that people were ashamed to be seen eating crawfish. The social stigma was that crawfish was poor people’s food because it was plentiful and easily obtainable. That negative outlook has since been diminished and the crawfish is now a symbol used to show pride in “Cajun heritage” (Esman 1984 53).

Every year in the month of May, there will be thousands of people that will travel near and far to join the Breaux Bridge locals in eating amazing food at their festival. Whether someone is in the mood for crawfish, burgers, hot dogs, red bean and rice, gumbo, or dessert, they will have an assortment of options available to them. No doubt will they also find crawfish made in a variety of ways — including crawfish pie, crawfish etouffee, fried or boiled crawfish and even a concoction called the “crawdog” (Bbcrawfest.com, 2018). Another favorite is the Funnel Cake. After enjoying all the good food that one’s body can handle, they will not want to miss out on getting a funnel cake for dessert.

The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival is an experience like no other with its bustling atmosphere and its unique contests. One particular contest that people won’t see every day is the Crawfish Races (Bbcrawfest.com, 2018). It sounds silly, but it is one of the oldest, and most famous traditions held at the festival. These races take place on a table with a series of concentric circles on it. Each crawfish is numbered and the owners of said crawfish are announced. Each crawfish will be placed in the center of the table where a bucket without a bottom is. Once each one is announced, the bucket will be lifted, and the owners will try to “encourage” their crustacean to race towards the outer circles by tapping their hands against the table (Outofthefryingpan.com, 2005). No one is sure why, but this is seemingly very entertaining to watch.

There are other popular events held at the Crawfish Festival as well such as the Crawfish étouffée cook-off, where people enter in teams to create their own version of the dish. Once the cook-off judges have chosen the winners, the leftovers are offered to the public for sampling (Bbcrawfest.com, 2018). Another event that has been around for a while is the Parade. The parade is hosted in honor of the selected Crawfish Queen, King, Junior Royalties, and the Ecrevettes who will all be dressed in fancy and elegant costumes that mimic their roles. There will also be marching bands, local Cajun bands, and exuberant floats, where their riders will more than likely be tossing beads and other small goodies to the attending crowds (Bbcrawfest.com, 2018).

Two other aspects to Cajun culture are the music and the dancing. There are over 30 bands from a few different genres of traditional Cajun and zydeco music that perform live during the duration of the festival. To complement the music, there are also dance contests and dancing instructors who will help those interested in learning the dance moves to the music being played (Bbcrawfest.com, 2018).

One thing that hasn’t changed over the course of years is the presence of crawfish. The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival is where you will find people from many backgrounds, countries, cultures, and ethnicities come together to enjoy themselves. Although today’s festival only lasts three days, each day holds a new experience worth diving into. There’s always room for growth when it comes to an event that is open to the public and the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival is an example of how things can always get better.