HENDERSON, La. (KLFY) — The 17th annual Atchafalaya Basin Festival is set to kick off Saturday in Henderson.

The event will take place at Henry Guidry Memorial Park from 7 a.m.- 10 p.m.

The festival, which began in 2007 as a fundraiser for Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Chapel in Butte La Rose and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, has grown each year. Visitors can expect a lineup of live music, auctions, gumbo cook-off and a raffle. The festival will also feature a kids area with games and activities.

Festival Coordinator Gary Simon said the event is all about celebrating Cajun culture, music and the community.

“It’s grown significantly, last year we probably had four or five thousand people,” Simon said. “With the weather this year, we’re expecting a bigger crowd this year.”

Festival Queen Kenedi Latiolais said the title is much more than just wearing a crown.

“This title is not just a crown and a banner,” Latiolais said. “You are advocating for not only the basin but also the Atchafalaya, the two churches, Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church. It means everything.”

Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette shared a lighthearted moment about the festival’s reach, recalling an interaction with a visitor.

“One year we had people from Japan come here and they were videoing me dancing,” Collette said. “They had a guy with a camera, close to me, and he had that big light. I said, ‘Buddy, you gotta back up, you cooking my ear piece.’ But it’s worldwide now because visitors spread the word.”

Admission and parking for the festival are free. For more information on the festival, visit the Atchafalaya Basin Festival Facebook Page.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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