Culture in Lafayette

Culture in Lafayette

Lafayette is a city located in the southern part of Louisiana. The city is the fourth largest in the state. Lafayette is at the heart of Cajun and Creole country; an area considered the happiest part in America because of the numerous festivals held annually. The city of Lafayette is best known for the rich culture which is marked by various international festivals. What stands out in the Lafayette festivals is the distinctive blend of festivals, music, food and culture from the diverse Hispanic communities. This exploratory paper is going to discuss the various cultural festivals held in Lafayette as well as what each represents.

Festival International de Louisiane

The Festival International de Louisiane is a unique festival held in Lafayette in April. Historically, the festival was meant to unite the Lafayette community by celebrating all the cultures through performing arts (Katie). Since Lafayette harbors many ethnicities, the festival was meant to bring the people together to appreciate and share their different cultures.

Musical performances by artists mark the five-day festival. Apart from the music, the festival is accompanied by cultural art exhibitions, cultural workshops that showcase the various cultures of various communities as well as visual art theatres.

One thing that stands out at Festival International de Louisiane is the local delicacies. The food ranges from the Creole delicacies to the French pastries. Spain and African cuisines also grace the occasion. The numerous food vendors serve all types of Lafayette specialties showcasing the rich local diet if the local communities.

The international cultural festival plays an essential role in Lafayette. First, the festival preserves the culture of Lafayette. The festival has gained popularity across the world, and millions of people go to Lafayette in April for the festival. As such, the local Lafayette community strives to preserve its various cultures. Secondly, the festival plays an essential economic role in Lafayette because of millions of dollars earned from the many international tourists who visit Lafayette for the festival. Most importantly, the festival showcases the beauty of diversity.  The festival is proof that the things that divide people get used as a unifying factor.

Latin Musical Festival

The Latin Music Festival is another great cultural festival held in October in Lafayette. The festival showcases the culture on the Latinos living in Lafayette. Latino immigrants who migrate to Lafayette have a hard time in adjusting to the various cultures; as such, a non-profit organization namely The Asociación Latino Cultural-Acadiana (ACLA) got formed to aid the immigrants in settling down easily (Espinonza). The ACLA organization through its website provides practical information to Latino immigrants. Besides, the organization also holds a massive festival that features the Latino culture.

The Latin Music festival features music, food, and crafts from local groups residing in Lafayette. The primary purpose of the festival is to showcase the Latino culture to the other local groups as well as compare it with different cultures. The festival gets marked by live performances, Latino cuisine, arts and crafts exhibitions that showcase paintings and jewelry of local communities. The festival gives the local dwellers as well as international tourists a chance to get an immersive experience of the Latin culture. Also, the Latino immigrants get an opportunity to learn about other cultures as well which makes it easier for them to blend in.

Mardi Grass festival

The Mardi Gras festival dates back centuries and is regarded as the most significant free party on earth. The Catholic Church licensed the carnivore as a period of feasting before the fasting of rent which takes place from 6th January to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday in March (Coen). Lafayette residents celebrate in many ways including marching bands and beads. The Mardi Gras association offers games, carnival rides, Cajun cuisines as well as music from live concerts.

The Mardi Gras carnival is great in Lafayette because neighboring towns trickle to the city to celebrate the event. Furthermore, the event is marked by costume contests from the locals as well as the tourists. As the Mardi Gras day ends, the Southwest Mardi Gras Association holds the annual Pageant and Ball at two venues: the Heymann Performing Arts Center and the Frem F. Boustany Convention Center in Lafayette (Coen). The festival is important because it showcases unity in religion as all ethnicities come together to celebrate a religious festival.

Gulf Brew Festival

The Gulf brew festival is celebrated in July. During this festival, people sample more than 100 samples of craft brew. The festival is marked by tasting beer from local distillers. Apart from the beer, the Gulf Brew festival includes live music, regional cuisines as well as exhibits. The Gulf Brew festival plays a vital role in boosting the economy of Lafayette.

Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival

The renown Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival was founded in1960 as a spin-off of the Breaux Bridge Centennial Celebration (Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival). The three-day festival held in May gets attended by thousands of people from all over the world. The festival primarily involves cooking demonstrations of crawfish ranging from zesty boiled dishes to uniquely prepared cuisines of shellfish. The event gets accompanied by music from live bands. The music in this festival is unique because it shows the transition of Lafayette music throughout the years.

Eatlafayette Festival

Evident from the name, the Eatlafayette festival is held to showcase the different cultural cuisines in Lafayette. The city of Lafayette is home to people of numerous cultures, and as such, the city cuisines are varying too. The festival, held throughout June presents to the world how different locals prepare seafood. Apart from being of economic importance, the EatLafayette festival preserves the culture of local communities as well as gives the locals a chance to learn from each other.

Boudin Cook-off Festival

The Boudin Cook-off Festival is in October. The festival is marked by a cooking contest by the participants whereby the winners get acknowledged by the end of the event. The festival is characterized by children activities such as face painting, fun jumps, and games with prizes. Also, the festival includes eating competition in different categories. The primary purpose of the Boudin cook-off festival is to showcase the talents of Lafayette people across all states.

Conclusion

In summation, Lafayette is a culturally rich city because of the different ethnicities living there. In an attempt to preserve all cultures, Lafayette holds a series of festivals that have become famous across many countries in the world. The festivals serve the purpose of uniting different people of different cultural backgrounds which makes Lafayette a renowned city. Furthermore, the festivals serve as a source of income because of the revenue earned during cultural festivals.

Works Cited

Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival. Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival. 2018. Monday March 2019

<http://bbcrawfest.com/about/>

Coen, Chere. Lafayette Louisiana. 2019. Monday March 2019 <:https://www.lafayettetravel.com/blog/post/living-it-up-before-giving-it-up-cajun-creole-carnival/ />.

Espinonza, Kathleen Schott. 64 Parishes. 2015. Monday March 2019 <https://64parishes.org/la-nueva-frontera-oral-histories-from-the-latino-communities-of-lafayette >.

Katie. Cajun Grocer. Monday April 2017. Monday March 2019 <https://www.cajungrocer.com/blog/the-history-of-festival-international-de-louisiane >.