ABBEVILLE, La. — Sitting on his porch, Sam Theriot recalls his childhood surrounded by the excitement of festival parades and backyard barbecues, events that brought beauty queens, movie stars, and even a president of the United States to his family home.
“I grew up just excited waiting for the festival parades and I actually loved the barbecues that used to be held in the backyard of our house where I could get a sneak peek of these beauty queens, sneak peek of these movie stars, and heck, see a president of the United States in my backyard. Wow,” Theriot said.
While Theriot is well known in the community as a politician, today he wants to focus attention on his late father, Rob Theriot Sr., the founder of the Cattle Festival.
Holding an old photograph, Theriot reflected on his family's place in festival history. “This is a picture of my father and President Harry Truman,” he said.
The festival began in 1949 as the Dairy Festival, a way to showcase the cattle industry in Vermilion Parish. By 1979, as dairy farming declined and beef cattle became more prevalent, the festival’s name changed to the Cattle Festival.
“Dairy farming was so expensive that people got rid of their dairy cattle and converted to beef cattle, but we still wanted to remember the heritage that got it all started. So by changing it to the cattle festival, we would embrace history and bring in the future,” Theriot said.
Over the years, the festival has drawn prominent leaders like state representatives and even presidents such as Harry Truman. Now in its 75th year, the three-day event features rib-eating contests, parades, live cattle demonstrations and many more traditions that Theriot and the entire community look forward to each year.
Important information
Dates: October 3-5 2025
Cost: Free
Location: Downtown Abbeville
Time:
Friday, October 3rd (Festival grounds open at 6:30 pm)
Saturday, October 5th (Festival grounds open at 10 am)
Sunday, October 6th (Festival grounds open at 9 am)
For a list of events, click here
