The 30th annual Long Beach Bayou Festival returned to Long Beach June 18-19, bringing with it the culture of New Orleans.
Rainbow Lagoon Park was transformed into a miniature Mardi-Gras celebration that centered around traditional Cajun and Creole music and food.
“My family is from Louisiana originally, so this is like my roots right here,” said Shalynndra Waters Scott, a first time attendee. “It is important to show the rich culture.”
Two stages were set up to showcase Blues music and Zydeco music.
Zydeco is a blend of blues and R&B. According to Kimberly Benoit, a member of Festival Management, not a lot of people are familiar with the upbeat music that originally evolved in the southwest Louisiana area and the festival is a great way to educate people.
“A lot of people don’t know what a Zydeco band is,” Benoit said. “But when they come here they experience it first hand and the next time they hear it they understand the music and where it came from and how it originated.”
In the middle of the festival was the French Quarter Market, which featured about 50 vendors with a majority of them actually traveling to Long Beach from New Orleans.
The market brought authentic Cajun taste to Long Beach with gumbo, jambalaya and crawfish étouffée, as well as desserts such as beignets, sweet potato pie and cobblers.
“This food is a part of our culture, our heritage [and] our traditions,” said Ryan Legaux, owner of Harold and Belle’s to Geaux, a restaurant that has been established in Louisiana for over 45 years, “This really embodies the spirit of New Orleans and Louisiana in general.”
Other vendors from Louisiana brought more unique eats like frog legs, alligator and catfish.
“Gator is one of our biggest sellers… people have always been curious about gator and frog legs so we give them the opportunity to try it,” said Danielle Pearson, owner of Pearson’s Catering. “[The festival] gets people to come out and get a taste of New Orleans…it kind of feels like you’re not in California for a day.”
This year Chris Benoit and Danielle Anthony were crowned as the new Bayou king and queen.
They led the Mardi Gras parade throughout the festival on Saturday and Sunday along with the New Orleans Traditional Jazz band.
“I loved performing in the 2nd Liners dance that we do with our umbrellas… [leading] the parade with our band,” said Jesse Johnson Jr., President of the Louisiana to Los Angeles Organization committee. “The audience really has fun and we have our handkerchiefs and the audience joins in.”
The Bayou Festival gives proceeds every year to the Louisiana to Los Angeles Organization, a non-profit organization that helps fund scholarships for graduating high school seniors in the greater Los Angeles area.
Although Johnson was not specific on the amount of money donated he said the donations help the cause “tremendously.”
The next upcoming festival to bring Mardi Gras vibes to Long Beach is the Long Beach Crawfish Festival, which runs from Aug. 5-7 in Rainbow Lagoon Park.