trail Events

January 16, 2012 - February 21, 2012

Mardi Gras

Houma, St. Martin Parish, New Iberia, St. Mary Parish, Lafayette and Lafourche,

Along our Bayou Bounty Trail, in the heart of Cajun Country, Mardi Gras takes on a little different feel from the city celebrations in New Orleans. Yes, there are the traditional parades, but it is a rustic celebration, dating back to medieval times, known as the Courir de Mardi Gras, or the Mardi Gras run that draws crowds here. Costumed partiers, often on horseback, ride from house to house collecting the ingredients for a communal gumbo. Learn more about the region’s celebrations at:

Houma:  http://www.houmatravel.com/pdf/brochures/Houma-Mardi-Gras-Guide.pdf

St. Mary Parish:  http://cajuncoast.com/public/events/calendar/

New Iberia: http://iberiatravel.com/

St. Martin Parish: http://cajuncountry.org/

Lafayette: http://lafayettetravel.com/visitors/eventsandfestivals/mardigras/

Lafourche: http://visitlafourche.com/event_calendar.php

February 18, 2012 - February 18, 2012

La Grand Boucherie

Magnolia Park - Magnolia Park, LA

Before the days of refrigerators, crafty Cajuns would come together in the peak of winter to butcher hogs. It was a community-wide celebration, called a boucherie, that provided meat to the families to eat during the colder months. Today, this tradition is kept alive with a community boucherie in St. Martinville the Saturday before Mardi Gras. In addition to the butchering of the hog, the all-day party includes a squeal-like-a-pig contest, live music and more. http://cajuncountry.org/boucherie/