On Saturday September 4, the Zydeco Park in Plaisance, LA will host the 28th Annual Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Fest, with special events also occurring throughout the week in Opelousas. Festivities begin on Thursday, September 2 with a parade/jam session. The parade will line up at 5 p.m. at Opelousas South City Park and proceed at 6 p.m. up Market Street to North City Park. Immediately afterward, a jam session for local zydeco artists will take place at Slim’s Y-Ki-Ki, complete with complimentary home-cooked Creole food.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OpaXhCRSEs[/youtube]

On Friday, September 3, the festival will hold a kick-off dance at Slim’s Y-Ki-Ki at 8 p.m. Performers include Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble, Snuggles and the Zydeco Showstoppers, and Brian Jack and the Zydeco Gamblers; there will also be an accordion-playing competition starting at 9 p.m. Admission is $10.

Saturday starts off early with a free-admission zydeco breakfast in the Opelousas Courthouse Square. The festival’s gates will open at 7 a.m.; admission is $10 at entrance, $3 for children 12 and under. The Zydeco Festival’s stages will feature Grammy award winners Buckwheat Zydeco, as well as the Pine Leaf Boys, Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, Lil’ Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers, Nathan Williams & the Zydeco Cha-Cha’s, among others. A complete listing of artists, events and times is available at zydeco.org.