by JENNIFER BIUNDO
In April, more than 140,000 crustaceans – along with an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 visitors of the human variety – will be headed to Buda for the 17th annual Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival.
The popular Cajun-themed event will bring big-name musical acts to Buda’s City Park on April 9, including George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Doug Kershaw, Papa Grows Funk and Dr. Zog.
Tickets are $20, with free admission for kids eight years old and younger. That gets visitors all the crawfish they can eat, for as long as the supply holds out.
Last year, the festival was held in a parking lot near Austin City Hall, drawing about 7,000 visitors, along with 15 food vendors and 25 arts and crafts booths. The crowd went through 6,000 pounds of crawfish in seven hours, said organizer French Smith of the Manchaca-based Roadway Productions.
In addition to the free crawfish, vendors will sell Louisiana-themed food such as etouffee, gumbo, red beans and rice and fried rattlesnake. The event features musical entertainment and children’s activities throughout the day.
“It’s pretty much a mellow good time,” Smith said.
Tuesday night, councilmembers unanimously voted to extend city park hours to 11 p.m. to accommodate the festival.
Under the fee schedule recently adopted by the city, Buda will charge just $490, along with a $500 deposit, for the use of the park. But the city will benefit from hotel occupancy tax and sales tax, noted Park Director Jack Jones.
Last July 4, Roadway Productions put on the Brew-B-Que festival that drew an unanticipated crowd of 6,000 to Buda City Park.
