Boudin & Beer: Two Festivals in Downtown Lafayette Saturday

Now that fall is here, some of our favorite annual events are returning, despite concerns about the pandemic shutting others down. We'll take it, because we've been locked down with no fun for too long! And if you love boudin, bacon, and beer, you're in luck this weekend in Acadiana.

The 14th annual Boudin Cook-Off and Acadiana Bacon Fest is making a triumphant return to Parc International in downtown Lafayette on Saturday, October 16th. This family friendly event is free to enter, and will be held from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM with 19 culinary teams competing for the honor of "Best in Acadiana".

Live entertainment will be provided by the Babineaux Sisters, Major Handy, and the Blue Monday All Stars throughout the event, and tickets will be sold for samples of the delicious boudin and bacon dishes, and also beverages and sweets. Free ice cream sandwiches will be given out, and a boudin ball eating contest will be held, which sounds awesome. The teams competing are listed below.

• Acadian Slice- Lafayette
• Acadian Superette - Lafayette
• Bayou Boy's PoBoys - Needville, Texas
• Best Burgers Lafayette - Lafayette
• Bosco's Specialty Meats - Opelousas and Broussard
• Boudin by Jamison - Belle Chasse
• Broaduss Burgers - Lafayette
• Cravn' Boudin - Lafayette and South Louisiana
• Chop's Specialty Meats - Broussard
• Dez Meaux's Country Boudin - Opelousas
• Insane Sausages - Vinton
• Kartchners Specialty Meats - Krotz Springs and Scott
• Kernis Louiviere - New Iberia
• Lazy Dayz Boudin -DeRidder
• Prison City Boudain - Huntsville, Texas
• T-Jim's Grocery - Cottonport
• T. Moise Farms - Sunset
• Vautrots Mini Mart - Church Point
• Youngest Boudin - Baton Rouge

And after you eat all that tasty boudin and bacon, you can head over to the Acadiana Center for the Arts and Gulf Brew 2021. This event, which "celebrates the craft of beer at the best time of year" will be held from 1:00 PM - 5:00PM.

The festival website says "Ticket holders will enjoy sampling more than 200 beers from craft breweries across the county while strolling along four pedestrian-only blocks of Jefferson Street in Downtown Lafayette between Juliet Hotel and La Carreta Restaurant. The event is one of the few occasions where all of Louisiana’s craft breweries and brewpubs showcase their newest beers in one place."

Gulf Brew is a fundraiser for Acadiana Center for the Arts, and tickets may be purchased in advance online, or onsite. Beer tap trucks, live music, and arts and crafts booths from the Louisiana Crafts Guild will be located throughout the area for festival goers to enjoy. The main stage for entertainment will be located in front of ACA at the intersection of Vermilion and Jefferson streets in downtown Lafayette. You can check out the festival map here. Volunteers are still being sought for the event, and you can register here for the fun. Cheers, y'all!