Arts & Crabs Fest

The second annual Arts & Crabs Fest, held on August 20th, enjoyed a tremendous success, and we have you to thank for making it a sold out event! Arts & Crabs Fest will continue to grow each year with your support.

Arts & Crabs aims to ensure the continuity of Southern Louisiana’s food culture by celebrating the reconstruction and rebirth of Cameron Parish’s seafood industry after Hurricane Rita in 2005 and the BP oil spill in 2010. The endless perseverance of Southwest Louisiana’s residents is nowhere more apparent than in the continued strengthening of the region’s seafood industry in the face of the current environmental hardships that face the Gulf Coast. This act of creating an event centered on Louisiana’s culinary culture re-inspires pride in our community while encouraging locals to take part in the rebuilding and rediscovery of their Cajun and Creole cultural heritages.

The event’s impact helps to restore a positive image to the people, economy, and culture of Louisiana through this celebration of our state’s seafood while drawing the public into local businesses. The seafood industry is a sustainable way to stimulate our state’s economy, and it reflects our own ties to our culture and traditions. The Arts Council partners with the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Conventions and Visitors Bureau annually to provide the event, and with an average of a $6 return on a $1 investment in the arts in Louisiana and the tourism industry promoting Louisiana as a place unlike any other, Arts & Crabs draws together the arts, our culinary culture, and tourism in order to form a united front in aiding our state’s economy through long-term and reliable avenues of continually-generated revenue.

For 2011, Arts & Crabs Fest was held at the Lake Charles Civic Center on August 20th, and it featured a large interactive art walk, vendors, live music by Grayson Capps and the Lost Cause Minstrels and the LakeSide Gamblers, and a comprehensive crab and beer tasting. Our menu included:

121 Artisan Bistro: Mona Lisa Pasta paired with Abita Golden
Big Daddy’s Sports Grill: Crab Etouffee paired with Abita Turbodog
Pujo St. Cafe: Crab and Avacado Salad paired with Abita Purple Haze
Coyote Blues: Crab and Pablano Bisque paired with Abita Jockamo IPA
Sha Sha’s of Creole: Crab Stuffed Jalapenos paired with Abita Amber
Cajun Café: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms paired with Abita Mardi Gras Bock
Lake Charles Country Club: Mini Crab Cakes paired with Abita S.O.S.
Cypress Grill of Graywood Plantation: Gazpacho paired with Abita Abbey Ale
Harlequin Steaks & Seafood: Crab Ceviche paired with Abita Restoration Pale Ale
Steamboat Bill’s: Crab au Gratin paired with Abita Andygator