Well, Spring has officially sprung, and that means it's the start of Festival season in Louisiana. From Monroe to New Orleans, we are celebrating everything from art and music to food. Some heavy hitters are coming up in April including Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. There are even a few crawfish festivals less than a week and less than two hours away from each other.

If you're a fan of fresh strawberries, there's no better place to celebrate than in Ponchatoula for the annual Strawberry Festival. Food celebrations continue with more crawfish in Slidell to delicious Cajun cuisine with the Etouffee Festival in Arnaudville.

Included in this year's lineup of events is a festival for dogs, dog owners, as well as people who love beer with Woofstock 24 and NELA BrewFest in Monroe.

With so many opportunities to celebrate in our state, don't miss your chance to experience all that Louisiana has to offer with these upcoming events.

And, if you're not from Louisiana, here's a handy guide on lingo in our part of the world:

A Guide to Louisiana Slang You Should Know Before Visiting the Bayou State

You don't need to know French to visit Louisiana. Truthfully, not many of the people that live here do. But if you plan to take a trip to the Bayou State and don't understand the slang, you'll likely hear "pauvre bete" and a few terms that sound strange. Here's a handy guide that may help you cut through the confusion of the Cajun vernacular.

Gallery Credit: Tracy Wirtz

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