A tradition dating back to 1969 continues this year when the Knights of Columbus Council No. 970 presents its International Acadian Festival Friday through Sunday at Bayou Plaquemine Waterfront Park. 

Organizers hope for a boost in attendance this year after a rainstorm Sunday led to lower total attendance than the 2021 festival – the first after the pandemic – that brought some of the largest crowds in the history of the event. 

“We’ve got high hopes as long as the weather cooperates,” Festival Chairman Steve “Pine” Smith said. “With all the dry weather, we’re just hoping it will stay that way the weekend of the festival.”

“It’s going to be a good weekend,” he said. “If the weather cooperates, I have very high hopes – some cooler weather wouldn’t hurt, either. 

The festival will include the usual variety of rides, food vendors, music, games, arts and crafts sales and other events.

Very few changes are in store for this event, and those adjustments are geared toward better organization and greater regional attendance. 

“We’ve got this thing down to an art,” Smith said. “Even this year, we’re getting more and more vendors as far as crafts, and we’re logistically moving things around.”

Organizers relied more heavily on social media and increased promotion outside the Iberville Parish to give it the same regional appeal events seen at events such as the Jambalaya Festival in Gonzales, the Harvest Festival in New Roads and the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge.

It will also include bringing the event back to its roots.

The inaugural event was known as “The Cajun Festival” when the late Gary J. Hebert, founder of POST/SOUTH, devised the concept for the gathering.

A few more events will be tied to the Cajun heritage, including a presentation on cypress wood art and West Baton Rouge Museum exhibit on Cajun life and culture. 

“We had gotten away from the Cajun aspect of it for a while and it almost became a glorified street fair. We were trying to tweak it and get back to what it was all about,” Smith said. 

In addition, entertainment will run on the main stage throughout the festival, rather than a concentration solely on major bands.

Sunday’s performers will consist of younger musicians.

The festival will also host the water ceremony at 7 p.m. Saturday. During that event, 2023 Evangeline Mackenzie Grace Janét and the Indian princesses will arrive during a procession at the Mark A. “Tony” Gulotta Bayou Plaquemine Waterfront Park.

“Moving it to the weekend of the festival is one of the best things that we’ve ever done,” Smith said. “It’s well attended, and it’s become a big hit that everyone looks forward to.”  

The Saturday attendance should be solid, particularly because LSU has an open date this weekend, one week before the annual rivalry showdown Nov. 4 at Alabama.

The event had been held the third weekend of October, but the loss of the previous ride vendor led organizers to move it to the last weekend of the month so it could land another amusement company.

The group – based in Montana – makes its last stop of the year in Plaquemine after another area festival. 

It forced the change from Thursday to Friday for “Special Needs Day” when special-needs children are given a free day on certain rides. 

“It works fine on Friday because most much of the local KC crew working the festival are already on site that day,” Smith said. 

The ride vendor particularly likes the Acadian Festival because the event is held on a concrete surface rather than a grassy field – one that had often become a muddy terrain during the days at the old fairgrounds and, later, at the C.M. “Mike” Zito Multipurpose Center.

The abundance of indoor space also helps.

“The whole complex has been a godsend,” Smith said. “It’s a really nice, clean complex.”

One problem has arisen in the last few years, although it’s by no means a bad one.

“We’re running out of space,” Smith said. “It keeps growing and we’re logistically running out of space, but it’s all good.”

He doesn’t foresee adding another day for the event, something that has been the case for some festivals across the state.

“We’re out there the whole weekend, and our manpower isn’t what it used to be – we’re all getting older,” Smith said. “This is my third year chairing the festival, and I chaired it a few other times.

“If it wasn’t for our sheriff (Brett Stassi) loaning us inmates to help with heavy lifting, I don’t know what we would do.”

The changes with festival come after organizers gauge what worked – and what didn’t – at that year’s event.

Organizers usually take one week off after the festival, pack away all the equipment and fixtures and then review that year’s event.

Suggestions from the eventgoers also play a role in the discussion. 

“During the festival, people are always giving suggestions,” Smith said. “We can’t implement for the current festival, but we can do it for the following year, and there are always a few suggestions that we act upon.”

One change for this year will involve the cost of admission, which will increase to $5 for adults. Kids will be admitted free.

“We’re going to see how it works out,” Smith said. “We haven’t gotten many complaints in terms of pricing or anything else …we’re pretty much in line with all other festivals. 

Smith hopes the promotion outside the immediate area will bring some first-time visitors to the festival.

“The numbers will tell the story,” he said.

One change that could come soon will be the method of payment.

Discussion has been ongoing on whether they should continue as a mostly “cash only” event or switch to only allowing credit and debit cards.

“We’re not doing it this year, but we may move toward that next year or the year after,” Smith said.

“We’re looking at it because everyone is moving in that direction.”