Acadiana looks vibrant this weekend with Juneteenth celebrations at local restaurants, a parish-wide music festival, and a virtual Creole Culture Day! You can celebrate various facets of our culture this weekend no matter where you go – and for St. Martin Parish residents, “where you go” could simply be your front porch. Local businesses are pooling resources and entertainment together to celebrate and honor cultural contributions of Black Americans in downtown Lafayette, and Vermilionville will offer a refresher course on Creole culture.
Let’s get to it.
6/19: A Juneteenth Celebration: AcadianaBlack and Reve Coffee Roasters come together this Friday to celebrate the 155th anniversary of the day the last slaves in the U.S. were set free! Starting at 7 p.m., the evening will include music performances by arts collective Willingly Rejected, a custom cocktail list inspired by historic black bartenders, multiple black vendors, and more. Entry is free!
6/19: Juneteenth 10 for $10: One of UL Lafayette’s favorite lunchtime spots, Kitchen on Klinton (KOK) Wings, is supporting our local NAACP chapter as part of its community outreach program, KOK Cares. The Juneteenth special sale entails 10 wings for $10, and 10 percent of ALL sales on the 19th will be donated to NAACP. The kitchen opens at 11 a.m. and closes 11:55 p.m., so get in before midnight!
6/20: Fête de la Musique: The 2nd annual Fête de la Musique will take place this Saturday – the summer solstice — in St. Martin Parish! Celebrations for World Music Day will occur throughout the parish, as instrumentalists, dancers, and singers are encouraged to celebrate in their own way from their front porches, front yards, and local restaurants and dancehalls (per proper social distancing). The Fête is modeled after a Parisian tradition that started in 1982 as a tribute to the summer solstice. Every June 21, Paris is filled with musicians performing on sidewalks, lawns, balconies, and parks for anyone to enjoy at no cost The party starts at 6 p.m.
6/21: Creole Culture Day 2020: This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Vermilionville will stream an event for all things Creole! This year’s Creole Culture Day theme is Fraternal Folklore, which will explore and celebrate historic and modern men in Creole culture along with live music, great food and lots of cultural exchange! Stream live music and conversations from the Vermilionville Facebook page.
6/24: #WCW ride: Quarantine is over, but that doesn’t mean you should stop riding your bike! Keep up healthy habits in a safe way next Wednesday with like-minded lady cyclists for BikeLafayette’s #WCW ride. Cyclists will arrive a few minutes before 6 p.m. at Café 20.3 on the Bayou for this casual ride. The route is about 10 miles, or one hour. Everyone is encouraged to bring a friend!
