BREAUX BRIDGE, La. (KATC) — The Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival is back for 2026 and organizers say this year is expected to be bigger and better than ever.
From crawfish any way you can chew it, to an extensive music line-up and carnival rides, Angelique Bernard, head of publicity and pageants for the festival, says there's fun for the whole family. But more importantly, she says the festival is instrumental in keeping Cajun culture and heritage alive.
"If you don't use it you're gonna lose it, and that's what we don't wanna do," Bernard said. "I mean I grew up with Cajun music and French music, it wasn't something I liked, but now I understand completely why it belongs in our culture."
There are also enhanced security measures for this year, meant to prioritize not only safety, but people's time.
"We have improved our metal detectors this year because it slowed our lines down a lot last year," Bernard told KATC. "So this one's a lot quicker and it will get people through those lines a lot faster."
Admission to the Crawfish Festival is as follows:
- $10 Friday, May 1
- $15 Saturday, May 2
- $5 Sunday, May 3
- $25 Weekend Pass
Carnival wristbands are $25 Wednesday and Thursday night and $30 Friday through Sunday. The carnival is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with two sessions on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. On Sunday, the carnival is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The festival grounds open for the weekend on Friday at 4 p.m. with the opening ceremonies at the Crawfish Stage at 4:30 p.m.
For more information on the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, from the music line-up to other events throughout the weekend, click here or visit the festival's Facebook page.
