For an authentic down-home Mardi Gras experience, forgo the crowds in The Big Easy and head deep into Cajun Country to join the fun at these events in St. Landry Parish.
At the Lebeau Mardi Gras celebration on Feb. 3, you can dance to zydeco music, watch a parade with horses and witness a pig chase. Taste the specialties of the renowned Cajun cuisine at Taster’s Choice on Feb. 7 in Eunice. Geno Delafose provides the zydeco.
Sample more Cajun cooking at the gumbo cook-off during the Cankton Courir de Mardi Gras on Feb. 10. Go along on a trail ride in this old tradition and stop to collect ingredients for gumbo, watch the chicken race, and tap your feet to the live music. The next day, back in Eunice, kids aged 14 and under have their own Courir de Mardi Gras.
Bring an appetite to Lakeview Park & Beach in Eunice on Feb. 12 because you’ll want to sample the boudin and other traditional pork delicacies at Lundi Gras Boucherie. The all-day zydeco and dancing in the barn are free for everyone; all you pay for is food and drinks.
The Opelousas Mardi Gras Parade is on Feb. 13 with colorful bands and performers marching down the historic downtown. Opelousas is the Zydeco Capital of the World and zydeco legend Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band will perform at a free concert under the oaks at St. Landry Parish Courthouse Square immediately following the parade.
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