by Deborah Hardy

Created on: January 22, 2009

Living in southeast Louisiana provides ample opportunity to attend a wide variety of parties and festivals. Most Cajuns don't need a reason to party, in reality; it's a way of life. The festivals are too numerous to mention, so I have decided to recap on the most popular.

Strawberry Festival: This festival is held in April in Ponchatoula LA. Vendors line the streets selling everything from T-shirts to flats of strawberries. The main attractions are local bands performing on several stages, carnival rides, games, and of course, strawberry daiquiris.

Crawfish Festival: This festival takes place in May in Breaux Bridge LA. The smell of boiled crawfish fills the air. Music can be heard at the turn of every corner. They have everything from craw dogs to crawfish eating contests. Beer flows easily from the kegs. A Cajun's dream comes true. This one is not to be missed.

Wooden Boat Festival: This festival arrives every October in Madisonville LA. Which is located on the banks of the Tchefuncte River. Boating enthusiast flock to this small town to enjoy the festivities. Here everyone can enjoy parades, contest, music, fine Cajun cuisine and the numerous vintage wooden boats on display. This festival provides a special attraction just for the children. Each child has a chance to build their own toy wooden boat with the help of an adult The highlight of this festival is the wooden boat races. Contestants in this race must use the material provided to them to build their boats. Each crew has fourteen hours to complete this task. The participants use themes and dress in costume. If the boats remain afloat when they are launched, loud cheers will erupt from the crowd. The whole family will enjoy this one.

Jambalaya Festival: Gonzales LA is the host for this festival, which is held Memorial Day Weekend. Here you will find carnival rides, games, a wide variety of food, and live entertainment The Jambalaya cooking contest is the main event. Many locals compete each year. And yes, each contestant claims to have the best recipe.

And last but not least, the Granddaddy of them all is Mardi Gras. Which translate into Fat Tuesday.

Mardi Gras is held in just about every city, town and village in southeast Louisiana. But, most people associate Mardi Gras with New Orleans. Mardi Gras is celebrated the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. There are endless parades, drinking, dancing, and partying. Not to mention, the countless number of women willing to show their breast in the hopes of getting those prized beads. The screams of "throw me something mister" echoes in every direction. On Bourbon Street, the sound of jazz music fills the air. People are singing, dancing, and parading around in costumes. Partygoers are standing on second floor balconies, overlooking the street down below, and enticing everyone with the hopes of catching the biggest and best beads. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is not for children or the faint of heart...Let the good times roll...I hope to see you there.

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