Right on schedule, the cold front signifies Festivals Acadiens et Creoles week! The autumnal festival, held every second week of October, celebrates Cajun heritage through cuisine, music and lots and lots of dancing. In addition to the festival proper, additional…
As someone who is half-Latin American, I value the almost-new Latin Fest in downtown Lafayette more than a little bit. The festival sheds light on where the Viator, Miguez, and Lopez families – plus many more – come from,…
This week is a mixture of old and new. Returning favorite events, such as The Bayou Vermilion District Festival and Boat Parade and Tinsel & Treasures Market, will go down this weekend! Both events have been a Lafayette staple…
Maybe it’s Virgo season, or the habit of feeling more productive as the weather gets a little cooler, but all the events this week center on productivity. Acadiana will be bustling this weekend with active, creative, educational and cultural…
It’s barely perceptible, but the early mornings are cooler…and fall events are back! We’re not in boots and sweaters yet, but the main events this weekend – like the Lafayette Public Library’s fall book sale, a harvest moon paddle and…
We’re somehow already in September. Acadiana activities are abuzz with celebration and self-expansion this week, and some of the events foreshadow an early fall: pumpkin cookie classes, cookoffs in the country, as well as an autumnal iteration of an outdoor…
While it is grounding to settling into the new school year, this week’s collection of events center around variety. From family friendly, high-altitude events to foraging wild food and trying a new instrument, this weekend provides you with options…
This weekend provides Acadiana residents with the opportunity to check out events they might have not seen the first time around or try something totally new in a one-time experience! The weekend, there’s a moms-only scavenger hunt on the…
I knew when I saw school supplies up for sale that summer would come to a close, as it often does, just when I started to appreciate it. Luckily, the last weekend before school starts will be eventful in…
This week in Acadiana, there are multiple free events, shows and activities for kids and adults alike. Personally, I am most excited for a star-studded showcase at Lafayette’s Acadiana Center for the Arts to see some of the region’s…
I’m as surprised as anyone that we are about to enter August. And yet, here we are. While summer is languid and easy, it’s time to pick up the pace. On tap for this week are events for the particularly…
Lafayette, Broussard and Opelousas have events throughout this week centered on community building in various forms. Native Americans from all over America will come together in Opelousas; a volunteer-based fix-it café’ will pop-up to repair just about anything; a bike…
Since Hurricane Barry came in and rained on our parade, let’s play catch-up. For this special lightning round of weekend events, I’ve complied activities that were rescheduled from last weekend as well as exciting goings-on for this weekend. Let’s…
This upcoming weekend promises to be eventful. In addition to my personal favorite monthly Artwalk, downtown will be abuzz! Parents and kids are invited to try out music classes, beautify downtown by planting flowers and cultivating community with a picnic.…
July Fourth is peak summer. This year Independence Day falls on Thursday, and the workweek is looking more eventful than usual. You can look forward to firework displays, outdoor activities, and other things that require you to leave your ice…
If there’s one illusion that I must admit took a long time for me to shatter, it was the illusion of the muse. As romantic as it is to imagine you’ll come up with your next idea at a…
There are multiple opportunities to engage in a new talent or develop a cherished skill this weekend throughout Lafayette, such as through dance with your daughter, paddleboarding, or developing your poetic prowess. Of course, there are shows to check…
As an only child, I’m particularly close with my father. Close enough to know he does not need another tie or expensive cufflinks this Father’s Day, but probably just some quality time. What better way to spend time with…
Since this upcoming Saturday is the second Saturday of the month, this weekend’s events are ArWalk-centric but with two productive additions. There’s the ArtSpark-funded sci-fi play, a brand-new artisans’ market, and an engrossing interactive art installation. There is also…
For many of us, the upcoming weekend has one extra day, and we’re taking advantage of it with a slew of new events that combine artistic talent and community building. An innovative songwriting festival returns with more workshops and…
There are a few different ways to get moving this weekend. You could take an excursion to the country to tour a home unlike any other in Acadiana. You could also sip champagne and shop in Youngsville’s up and…
This weekend, there are many activities ideal for a Mother’s Day celebration or an afternoon excursion with friends. Saturday is particularly packed, with free family activities in downtown’s Parc Sans Souci, a beer celebration en Français at Vermilionville, a…
As we inch closer to summer, events this weekend celebrate the balmy temperatures and lush flora of Louisiana’s late spring. This weekend, there are a host of fundraisers and free events that encourage community building and provide a celebratory…
Festival International de Louisiane is so quintessential to Acadiana that in a sea of Louisiana celebrations, it is the only one we simply deem Festival. I treat this time of year as a choose-your-own-adventure game. I meander downtown during the…
This weekend in Acadiana offers plenty of chances to check out new music, enjoy a downtown staple in a special way and celebrate one of the unique cultures that help diversify our region! The Lao New Year in Broussard is…
Although we are definitely due for some April showers, it’s almost Easter in Acadiana, and there is so much to do! Almost all the events are kid-friendly, excluding one just for moms. The rest are filled with spring-related activities like…
This majority of the events this weekend fall on Saturday, including a celebration of one of Louisiana’s most famous foods, an outdoor Easter egg hunt in an iconic location, a concert for a cause, and one local band’s new album…
Another beautiful spring weekend means another series of events that celebrate the creativity of our culture. The Acadiana Center for the Arts is certainly busy this week. Two of the five events this week will be held in the most…
One could say this every weekend, but this weekend, Acadiana can look forward to lots of live music! Some of our favorite musicians, and some very new touring acts, will perform in lush gardens, historic hideaways and dives as…
If you’re not too depleted from Mardi Gras festivities, get ready to honor St. Patrick’s Day. In recent years, Acadiana has provided more Celtic-centric events around this time of year, including a special live outdoor performance and a fundraiser for…
Ashley Hinson is a writer with a concentration in music, arts and culture. She is most interested in understanding how artists think and create, and what inspires their work. Having written across several parishes in Acadiana, she is deeply familiar with its ins and outs, its highways and dancehalls.
Hinson graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2015 with a Bachelor’s in English. Her work has been published by regional newspapers and magazines as well as The Associated Press. She is also in school for nursing at Louisiana State University at Eunice.
