A growing number of new groups are collaborating with well-loved venues to breathe life into familiar places. In this week’s case, many places.
This Friday, Lafayette's Downtown Gumbo Crawl – Social Entertainment Productions and Clandestine Collective’s first collaboration – combines the convivial jaunt of a bar crawl and the warmth of gumbo. It’s a collection of unlikely pairings that seem to make more sense the more they’re considered.
It started with a Saints game.
Clandestine co-founder Paul Kieu said the idea came when he and fellow Clandestine member Hunter Hebert were at a game watch party at the Wurst Biergarten.
“The weather was in the mid-to-lower 30s that night, and they were serving gumbo. Someone had mentioned that there were people who were hitting up several other bars to get their gumbo as well.”
Kieu knew then it was viable.
“As far as gumbo, I believe only Greenroom and Wurst regularly serve gumbo and during special events like Saints football games. We thought it'd be an interesting way to get these businesses to try something new.”
Enter: Social Entertainment Productions. Marketing and Event Coordinator Britlyn Delahoussaye said the collaboration is an honor with the “dream team” of Clandestine.
“Clandestine Collective and Social Entertainment Productions passions align: to support Acadiana's local businesses, the arts, and its rich culture through events,” said Delahoussaye. “Thus, Clandestine Collective approached Social Entertainment with the idea of a gumbo crawl, as Social Entertainment produces pub crawls year round!
“Downtown Gumbo Crawl is the perfect combination of highlighting downtown's incredible restaurants and bars, while celebrating one of Acadiana's favorite Cajun dishes.”
Attendees can register between 5:30 and 7 p.m. at Dat Dog, one of the very last and most vibrant-colored businesses downtown. Gumbo stops start with the Greenroom, then Legends, Jefferson Street Pub, the Wurst Biergarten, and the 2nd Floor Nightclub (which once was Stan’s nightclub). The $20 registration fee includes five 8 oz servings of gumbo, drink specials, and entry into a selection of door prizes from Pack & Paddle, Lagniappe Records, Jefferson Street Pub and Dix Almost Famous Daiquris.
Clandestine and Social Entertainment Productions are the two front-runners in a DIY movement that creates different sorts of activities in well-known places. Kieu said these pop-ups are indicative that attendees are “just interested in partaking in something that's a little different from what they're used to.”
This event in particular comes at a generally quiet time of year, a quiet time amplified by recent below-freezing temperatures.
“I think what we're aiming for is to get people downtown and having fun in a generally slower time of year. We want people to see that there is stuff going on downtown in January, and we want to be a part of that,” said Kieu.
Advanced tickets are also available through www.socialentertainment.net. A portion of the ticket proceeds will be donated to the new Krewe de Canailles, a walking parade set to make its debut Feb. 9.
