Gator by the Bay 2014 | Photo by Dennis Andersen
Starting this week, San Diego will host the 14th annual Gator By the Bay Festival, a three-day celebration (May 7 – 10) of southwestern Louisiana’s Cajun culture—in SoCal.
That means dance floors packed with people twirling to live zydeco music, cooking demos of étouffée, jambalaya, and other southern delicacies, and booths selling more than 10,000 pounds (!) of spicy crawfish.
The real focus of the fest is music. Five stages host more than 85 performances over the course of the weekend.
San Diego-based writer Wendy Lemlin gave us her five must-see recommendations:
1. Grammy Award-winning Cajun band Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet.
2. Zydeco artists Terry & the Zydeco Bad Boys and Brian Jack & the Zydeco Gamblers.
3. High energy Cajun band Pine Leaf Boys.
4. Chicago Blues legends Corky Siegel, Sam Lay, Barry Goldberg, and Marcella Detroit playing together in one extravaganza.
5. Wayne Baker Brooks, a major player in the vanguard of today’s electrified Chicago blues scene.
The complete lineup and schedule, as well as ticket information, can be found at GatorBytheBay.com.
