The Louisiana Crawfish Festival has taken over Chalmette this weekend, turning the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center into a sea of steam, boiled crawfish and zydeco. Now billed as the festival’s 51st edition, the four day run stretches through Sunday and is pulling in visitors from across Louisiana and neighboring states. Dozens of vendors are working the boiling pots and slinging spins on the classic plate, from crawfish grilled cheese sandwiches to crawfish fried rice, while nightly concerts and a full carnival midway keep families looping back for another round.
The official schedule lists March 26 to 29 at the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center, 8245 W. Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette. According to the festival site Louisiana Crawfish Festival, the event is hosted by the Louisiana Crawfish Fest Foundation, which notes the festival has served as a community fundraiser since 1975. The foundation also says the grounds are wheelchair accessible and that vendor slots for 2026 were claimed well in advance.
Hours, tickets and what admission gets you
Gates open from noon to 10 p.m., and general admission is $10, according to WWLTV. That fee covers entry, the live music and the overall festival atmosphere. The crawfish trays, carnival rides and vendor purchases will still hit your wallet separately. For day by day ticket tiers and add ons, festival organizers point visitors to the ticketing page and third party sellers.
Food, rides and music
Food lines stretch past dozens of booths serving the usual spicy boils along with mashups and specialty dishes. This year’s menu includes boiled crawfish alongside creative takes such as crawfish grilled cheese and crawfish fried rice, per local coverage from WDSU. A full midway of carnival rides and games fills out the footprint, and event pages list varying general admission prices by day on AllEvents. Set times and vendor maps are available through local listings.
Giving back
Behind the mudbugs and music, organizers say the festival’s proceeds support local recreation programs, cancer charities, Children’s Hospital initiatives and Ochsner health centers, a distribution noted by WWLTV. The Louisiana Crawfish Fest Foundation reports it has donated more than $2 million back into St. Bernard Parish since Hurricane Katrina, according to Louisiana Crawfish Festival. Volunteers, including Knights of Columbus members who helped launch the fundraiser in 1975, still staff much of the weekend’s operations.
Tips for visitors
The festival grounds sit on concrete and are wheelchair friendly, but crowds can pack in on Saturday nights and during headline concerts. Regulars suggest arriving early if you are targeting the most popular food booths or trying to dodge the longest ride lines, and many event pages recommend getting to the grounds before peak set times. For details on tickets, parking and nearby lodging links, visitors are directed to the festival’s ticket page and local event listings on AllEvents.
