LAFAYETTE PARISH (SCOTT) — A sunny weekend set the stage for large crowds and lively celebrations at the 13th annual Scott Boudin Festival, where food, music and family traditions took center stage.
The three-day event, held in the “Boudin Capital of the World,” drew enough visitors to reach capacity Saturday evening, highlighting the festival’s steady growth in recent years.
Local restaurants, including Best Stop, Don’s Seafood, Billy’s Boudin, Landry’s Seafood, Fezzo's, and more, lined the area near Town Hall, offering a wide variety of boudin dishes and other regional favorites.
Festivalgoers also enjoyed live music, art vendors and carnival rides.
Pageant participants said they were eager to experience everything the festival had to offer, including new food items and traditions. Junior Miss Meredyth Guillory said she was especially excited to try one creative offering.
“I heard that there were tater tots covered in queso cheese and boudin,” she said. “I haven’t tried it yet, but I already know it’s good.”
For some, the festival is as much about community as it is about cuisine. The Broussard family, whose home sits on the festival grounds, hosted dozens of relatives for the weekend.
With easy access to the stage, rides and food, the family said they were grateful for the opportunity to spend time together.
“You can’t ask for better than that,” one family member said, noting that about 40 to 50 relatives gathered together.
Family member Steven Chargois traveled from Los Angeles, and said the trip is an annual tradition centered around food and family.
“I come out here every year for the boudin—we don’t have that in California—and of course, for family,” he said.
His cousin, Ashley Burns, is visiting from Beaumont, Texas, and returned to the festival for the first time in a decade.
“It’s grown, for sure,” Burns said. “That’s what we both said when we walked up. It’s grown. I love it.”
Festival organizers expect strong attendance through the final day as visitors continue to celebrate one of Acadiana’s most beloved culinary traditions.
