Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole heritage will be showcased at 50th annual Festivals Acadiens et Creoles
Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole heritage will take center stage when the Festivals Acadiens et Creoles marks a half-century of honoring and celebrating the culture through music, arts, food and community
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana's Cajun and Creole heritage takes center stage this weekend when the Festivals Acadiens et Creoles marks a half-century of honoring and celebrating the culture through music, arts, food and community.
What started as a one day concert in 1974 to entertain 150 French-speaking journalists gathered in Lafayette — considered the heart of Cajun country — has grown into a three-day event and possibly one of the largest Cajun and Zydeco festivals held globally, organizers said. And, they note, the entire event is free.
Barry Jean Ancelet, one of the event's organizers, said when the idea formed 50 years ago, nobody knew if anyone would even come out to hear the music.
“Cajun music at that time was largely considered ‘old people’s music,'” he said. “You've got to remember, we were in the throes of Rock ‘n’ Roll at the time. The people here loved it when they encountered it in dance halls, but this concert was designed to call attention to the music in a different way, to point out its value. They had to sit — not dance — and pay attention. And they ended up hearing it in a different way. It was so successful. We ended up turning it into an annual event where we could call positive attention to this important asset and get people to consider it.”
