Boudin For Days

SCOTT

Best Boudin in the Land
Known as the “boudin capital of the world” since 2012, the Scott Boudin Festival (April 5-7) features the top boudin vendors of legend and lore: Don’s Specialty Meats, Best Stop, Billy’s Boudin, Menard’s and NuNu’s presenting both classic and creative offerings, served hot with a backdrop of toe-tapping Cajun music and fireworks that light up the evening sky (scottboudinfestival.com).

RAYNE

Toad-ally Tasty
Frog art abounds and live music lingers until midnight at the 50th annual Rayne Frog Festival (May 9-11). Enjoy frog eating contests, a frog cook-off and frog races (watch your feet for wayward runaways). The less fortunate hoppers are destined for deep fryers churning out fried frog legs, a fest favorite. Fun fact: Teen girls competing for the title of Frog Queen are required to present a live frog dressed in fancy or funny costumes. (facebook.com/raynefrogfestival).

KROTZ SPRINGS

Of Fur, Feathers and Fins
Adventuresome foodies can vote for the best wild game in a Fur, Feathers and Fins Cook-off and sample the various wild offerings as the sounds of swamp pop and Cajun music fill the air at the Krotz Springs Sportsmen’s Heritage Festival (May 30-June 1). Created to celebrate the wetlands and the extraordinary wildlife on the banks of the Atchafalaya Basin (kssportsmensheritage-festival.com).

Easy Does It
An easy way to find good crawfish: Download The Crawfish App, enter your location and browse over 1,600 vendors to find live or boiled crawfish with weekly prices plus user reviews (shop.thecrawfishapp.com).

BREAUX BRIDGE

A Claws for Celebration
Despite the soaring crawfish prices and mudbug shortages that kicked off the season, Acadiana’s world-famous Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival prevails (May 3-5), thanks to St. Martin Parish’s status as Louisiana’s top producer of crawfish. Record crowds are expected at the 63rd annual festival featuring over 30 Cajun and zydeco bands, dance contests, cooking demos, crawfish eating contests and dozens of crawfish dishes served by friendly local raconteurs in the “crawfish capital of the world” (bbcrawfest.com).

THIBODAUX

Pinch a Pile of Tails
The 6th annual Mudbug Boil Off (May 11) celebrates the season’s peak with spicy boiled crawfish, a parade, auctions, live music and a unique cooking competition hosted by the Thibodaux Fraternal Order of Police as a charitable fundraiser (lacajunbayou.com/calendar-of-events/festivals-and-events/fop-mud-bug-boil-off).

ARNAUDVILLE

It Takes a Village
The 39th annual Arnaudville Étouffée Festival (April 26) showcases a diverse array of étouffées made with everything from crawfish to wild game. The festival’s lauded étouffée cook-off, live local music, bingo games and kid-friendly carnival attract visitors to Arnaudville, known as a hub for creatives, Francophones and foodies. The vibrant village is uniquely situated in two parishes and bordered by two bayous (cajuntravel.com/events/arnaudville-etouffee-festival/).

GOLDEN MEADOW

Look to the Sky
Spring is synonymous with crawfish season and food-themed festivals. A relative newcomer is the uniquely themed Louisiana Boulettes & Balloons Festival (May 17-18), the first of its kind in the area, featuring various seafood and pork boulettes and other Cajun classics. The second annual festival is kicked off by a magnificent balloon glow at dusk, followed by tethered balloon rides and colorful hot air balloon races in Golden Meadow (labbfest.com).