ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY) - Held the first full weekend of October each year, the Louisiana Cattle Festival has celebrated and recognized the cattle industry for over seven decades. As the industry in Louisiana has changed, so has the festival.
Victoria Bourque, the vice president of the Louisiana Cattle Festival, said the Louisiana Cattle Festival was started in 1949.
At that time, the festival was called the Louisiana Dairy Festival, commemorating only a portion of the statewide industry. In 1979, the board decided it was time to change the name to the Louisiana Cattle Festival to be more inclusive -- to recognize both the dairy and beef sides of the industry.
“At that time the portfolio amongst this state of beef, to dairy cows, was starting to change. So at one time you had a ton of dairy cattle and a little bit of beef and now what we have more is an abundance of beef and a little bit on the smaller in the dairy but still have a dairy presence,” Bourque said.
Bourque said the festival was held in downtown Abbeville for many years. However, at one point, the festival board tried to move it to the Red Barn. Bourque said the purpose of that was to try and make it a gated festival.
“Therefore, we were able to charge an admission fee and we were able to retain profit and hopefully use that profit to then get bigger names, especially for music, entertainment," Bourque said, but the decision to have the festival at the Red Barn didn't last long.
"We decided the heart of our festival belongs in downtown Abbeville, which is the heart of the city, the heart of the parish and so we're back," she said.
The story continues below the video.
The festival returned to downtown Abbeville last year.
"[We are] happy to be back downtown," Bourque said, and that the Cattle Festival is the first event hosted in the downtown since recent renovations such as the new street overlay and string lights.
“So we have these gorgeous string lights that go all the way down Concord, which is the middle of our festival. Everyone's going to be dancing not only beneath the lights but on the newly paved roads. So we have a true Fais Do-Do, we're really and truly dancing in the street and it's freshly laid streets, so perfect for boogying and dancing to the awesome lineup that we have," Bourque said.
Bourque thinks it is critical to be aware of the cattle industry and appreciate those who work in it.
“You know, all these cattlemen, cattle, women, cattle producers in general, they work tirelessly every single day, no matter if it's good weather or bad weather," she said.
“It's an endless effort that these people put in day in, day out to be able to provide the public with not only beef and dairy but plenty of different commodities that come as a byproduct of these cows. So we want to be able to celebrate them. We want to be able to show them honor and how much we appreciate them. So we invite the public out to the Louisiana Cattle Festival to be able to do that," she continued.
The festival is a free three-day event. It’s family-friendly and offers many things to do such as roping dummies, learning how to make your own butter, live cattle demonstration, and more.
Check out the schedule HERE.
