Sharing the food, music, culture, and history at the heart of Cajun & Creole Country.

Swamp Pop Music

Swamp pop, according to its foremost historian, Shane K. Bernard, represents the cultural collisions of "Cajun and Creole, black and white, French and English, rural and urban, folk and mainstream." Sharing affinities with rhythm and blues, rock and roll, country and western, and rockabilly, swamp…

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Performing Arts in Lafayette

When most people think of Lafayette, Louisiana, they picture lively festivals, flavorful Cajun and Creole cuisine, and toe-tapping rhythms—but the performing arts scene here is just as rich and vibrant. From professional symphonies and classical ballet to grassroots theater groups and contemporary…

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Creole Music

An early 20th-century precursor to zydeco, la-la music melds indigenous American, African, European, blues, nascent rhythm and blues, and Louisiana Creole and Cajun traditions to form a popular genre that is both provincial and unmeasurably influential. Primarily associated with Black Creoles of…

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Festival International Field Guide

Each spring, Downtown Lafayette comes alive with the sights, sounds, and flavors of Festival International de Louisiane, the largest free Francophone festival in the U.S. This five-day event transforms the city into a global stage, where music, art, and culture from around the world take center…

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Mardi Gras Frequently Asked Questions

South Louisiana is home to the greatest free party on earth, a colorful celebration known as Mardi Gras. In Lafayette, LA, residents celebrate in many ways, including the traditional courir de Mardi Gras; parades with marching bands, beads, and doubloons; Mardi Gras Indians with elaborate dancing…

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Cultural Attractions in Lafayette

Lafayette is rich in arts and culture. Numerous historical landmarks tell the story of Acadiana's diverse people, art galleries show the unique talents of local artists, and museums and performing arts venues for theater, music, and dance. Vermilionville Lafayette is fortunate to have two living…

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Cajun Music

Cajun music is a central component and marker of Cajun identity and culture in southwestern Louisiana. Largely accordion and fiddle-based and primarily sung in vernacular French, Cajun music has foundations in Indigenous American, African, German, Irish, Anglo-American, and Francophone folk…

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GRAMMYs in Acadiana: Music Goldmine

GRAMMY award-winning and nominated musicians from Acadiana Music has been the soul of Acadiana since the area's humble beginnings, with a melting pot of Cajuns, Creoles, European, and Native American cultures inspiring fresh new sounds. South Louisiana has fostered folk music, country, rock, rhythm…

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