Many people consider crawfish to be the official cuisine of Louisiana, and, given the amount of festivals held in honor of the crawfish, that may be true. Slidell, Louisiana, about 30 minutes north of New Orleans, is host to several crawfish festivals and cook-offs in the spring and summer months. These festivals are huge affairs, with live music, entertainment and plenty of food.
The Annual Crawfish Cook-Off in Slidell, Louisiana benefits the Hospice Foundation of the South. Teams of cookers compete for the "Best Tasting Crawfish" award. Anyone can participate in the contest, and the Hospice Foundation of the South provides bags of crawfish for competitors. More than 45,000 lbs. of crawfish are boiled at the cook-off every year. Live bands perform throughout the event, and additional booths serve other foods such as hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks. The Crawfish Cook-Off is held every April at Fritchie Park in Slidell. As of 2011, tickets cost $30 at the gate. Children 12 and under are free.
The Abita Springs Waldheim Volunteer Fireman's Association hosts this festival right outside of Slidell in Abita Springs, Louisiana. It benefits the Eighth Fire District. The festival, held over a weekend in May, has live music from local bands, carnival rides for the kids and plenty of crawfish. Local vendors supply boiled crawfish in several booths throughout the festival. As of 2010, tickets cost $8 for adults. Children 12 and under are free.
The Louisiana Crawfish Festival in Chalmette, Louisiana, 40 minutes south of Slidell, is a weekend event with carnival rides, craft booths, live entertainment and crawfish. Local vendors supply the crawfish and food ingredients for all of the food made and tasted there. Visitors can sample a variety of crawfish dishes, such as crawfish pizza, crawfish bread, gumbo and crawfish pies. Admission is free. As of 2011, the annual festival is held near the end of March.
The Louisiana Seafood Festival features chefs from local restaurants cooking a variety of seafood dishes, including crawfish based entrees. Visitors can try out dishes like crawfish crepes or seafood salad. Beyond the food, live musicians perform Cajun-Zydeco music, and chefs give cooking demonstrations. Visitors can also participate in contests and competitions. The shrimp peeling challenge from the 2010 event offered the winner $100 and two round-trip plane tickets. The Louisiana Seafood Festival is held in May in New Orleans, Louisiana.
