ONE PLACE, TWO FESTIVALS
Saturdays in Breaux Bridge are a rare collage of nature, history, culture and art. On Oct. 17, Teche Fest and Shake Your Trail Feather festivals bridge the mammoth diversity of Cajun, Creole and Teche-centric goodness with a day-long event filling the streets and the bayou waterway in celebration.
“Teche Fest, in its second year, is designed to bring attention to Downtown Breaux Bridge and our new Teche Center for the Arts,” says Teche Fest Producer and TCA Board Member Susan Brazell.
The new TCA is a community center featuring all things Cajun and Creole — music, art, food, history, language — offering visitors and locals one spot to feel the unique Teche culture.
“Just about any Saturday of the year you can get a nice sampling of the local culture in our quaint, historic Downtown area. But Teche Fest takes it to another level, filling the street and shops with artists and musicians from the surrounding area,” says Breaux Bridge resident and artist Kelly Guidry.
Teche Fest includes an Art Walk, music beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Café Des Amis (with performances following at Joie De Vivre Café and Buck & Johnny’s) and a Children’s Art Parc from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
In addition to Teche Fest, Shake Your Trail Feather Festival is slated for Oct. 17 from 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. at Parc des Ponts to raise funds to create projects and maintain facilities along the Bayou Teche Paddle Trail — Louisiana’s first National Water Trail.
Shake Your Trail Feather is a free event with funds raised via the official festival pin selling for $5. Performances include The St. Bernard School Musicians (11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Heritage Stage), David Greely and Megan Brown (noon-1 p.m., Cajun), The Magnolia Sisters (1:30- 3:30 p.m., Cajun/Zydeco) and Horace Trahan and Ossun Express (4-6 p.m., Zydeco). The event includes a kayak raffle, a float trip from Poche Bridge to the park with a floating band escort and a bike event.