Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival

Held annually in Plaisance (near Opelousas) but deeply rooted in the Southwest Louisiana Creole music corridor that Lake Charles anchors, the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival has been running since 1982 and draws performers and audiences from the Lake Charles–to–Eunice cultural belt. The festival preserves the French Creole zydeco tradition — accordion-and-rubboard music distinct from New Orleans jazz — as a living community practice rather than a museum exhibit.