The Rougarou Fest is back this weekend!

HOUMA, LA (WGNO) — “The Rougarou Festival is a FREE family festival with a spooky twist that celebrates the rich folklore that exists along the bayous of Southeast Louisiana. It features live music, cultural activities, children’s activities, Cajun food, the Krewe Ga Rou parade and much more. All proceeds will go to the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, a non-profit organization that is revolutionizing the way we think, teach, and learn on Louisiana’s endangered coast.

USA Today ranked Rougarou Fest among the top 10 costume parties in the United States, and the Southeast Tourism Society selected Rougarou Fest as one of the top 20 events while Rougarou Fest was ranked among the top 10 costume parties in the United States by USA Today in 2014, one of the Top 20 Events Across 11 States in October by the Southeast Tourism Society in 2015 and 2019, Best New Event in the State of Louisiana by the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals in 2015 and Festival of the Year by the Louisiana Travel Association in 2020. Be sure to check our map and calendar for a list and location of all events!” – rougaroufest.org

• October 21-23, 2022
• Location
  • 7910 Park Ave.
  • Houma, LA 70364
• 1-985-580-7289
• Time
  • Saturday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
  • Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• FREE ENTRANCE
• Food and drinks
• Treasure hunt
• Program (*Live music)
  • Friday:
    • 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.: First United Methodist Pumpkin Patch
    • 5 p.m.: Rougarou Fest opens with the blessing of the pitch and the national anthem (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • *6 p.m.: ReauxShambo Band (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • 7 p.m.: Celebrate ET’s 40th anniversary with an outdoor screening of “ET the Extra-Terrestrial” (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.: Trick-or-Treating by Krewe of Mardi Gras
    • *8 p.m.: The Wolfe Johns Blues Band (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
  • Saturday:
    • 8:00 a.m.: Ghouls on the Run 1.5K Fun Run – registration opens
    • 9:00 a.m.: Ghouls on the Run 1.5K Fun Run – start of the race
    • 10 a.m.: Opening of the Rougarou Fest (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.: First United Methodist Pumpkin Patch
    • 11 a.m.: Celeste Roger and Jessica Domangue: Mental health after a hurricane (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • 11 a.m.: Sabina Miller – Wax flowers (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • *Noon: Cajun Music Preservation Society (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • *1 p.m.: Back to the roots (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • 1 p.m.: Melissa Martin – Mosquito Supper Club (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • 2 p.m.: Glen Pitre – Rougarou Stories (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • 3 p.m.: Nutria Pardoning by Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • *3 p.m.: Sista Slick and the Brothas (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • 4 p.m.: costume contest (registration starts at 1 p.m.) (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • *5 p.m.: 45 years (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • 7 p.m.: Krewe Ga Rou Parade
      • It will start at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, turn left onto Barrow Street, turn left onto HWY 311, turn left onto Civic Center Blvd., turn left into the Civic Center parking lot, cross in front of the Civic Center under the awning and returns to the parking lot adjacent to the skate park where it will dissolve. The course is one mile long.
    • *8 p.m.: Nonc Nu and the wild Matous (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • 9 p.m.: pumpkin lighting
    • 10 p.m.: Rougarou Fest closes
  • Sunday:
    • 10 a.m.: Opening of the Rougarou Fest
    • 10 a.m.: Grayhawk Native American Tales (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • 11 a.m.: Storytelling Luther Gray Congo Square (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • *12 p.m.: Bang Bang (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • 12 p.m.: Shaka Zulu – Dance on African stilts and percussion (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • 12:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: First United Methodist Pumpkin Patch
    • 1pm: Tribe called Gumbolia – Masking Indians (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • *2 p.m.: Award ceremony for tradition bearers (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • 2 p.m.: Community drumming circle (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • 3 p.m.: Ben Labat (on the Gris Gris musical stage of Woodside Energy)
    • *3 p.m.: Tim Domangue – Alligator breeding (at the Atchafalaya narrative stage)
    • 5:00 p.m.: End of the Rougarou Fest
• Activities for children
  • Saturday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Most activities cost 1 ticket and each ticket costs $1.

Click on here for more information on the Rougarou Fest.

Shrimp Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 pint. peeled shrimp
• ½ bell pepper
• 2 celery ribs
• 2 med. potatoes
• 1g. onion
• 1 egg
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 cup milk
• 1 C. baking powder
• 2 tbsp. plain flour
• 1/8 cup parsley
• 1/8 cup onion greens
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Grind the shrimp, bell pepper, celery, potatoes and onion together. Add the remaining ingredients. The dough should be a little soft. Heat about 2 inches of cooking oil in a black iron pot; Using a tablespoon, drop the mixture into the hot oil (medium-high temperature). Fry each meatball until golden brown. Enjoy!

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