It’s Tennessee Williams Festival Time!

On Sunday, March 23, crowds gathering beneath the Pontalba balconies facing Jackson Square will repeatedly hear the heart-wrenching scream, “Stellllaaaaa!” during a shouting contest emulating Stanley Kowalski’s climactic, drunken scene from “A Streetcar Named Desire,” presented by the Tennessee Willilams and New Orleans Literary Festival, affectionately known as TWFest (March 26-30). Co-founded by writer, editor and Carnival historian, Errol Laborde, the annual festival has blossomed into a major international literary attraction since its debut in 1987, featuring over 100 events with acclaimed writers, scholars, actors, historians, musicians and chefs and over 10,000 attendees. There will be literary panels, a scholar’s conference, writer’s craft sessions, contests, theatre productions, walking tours, music and culinary events that herald the famed playwright’s French Quarter years and beyond. Widely celebrated for his fearless exploration of human vulnerability, Williams is also celebrated alongside the Saints and Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival (March 28-30); (tennesseewilliams.net; browse through twfest.myshopify.com for merch).

Eunice | Of Master Classes and Barn Dances

The 22nd annual Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage week (March 24-28) is a Louisiana French immersion experience like no other, featuring a new array of multi-day music lessons with master musicians, chefs and artisans in a nature-based setting. Spontaneous music jams and lakeside campfires, dance lessons and nightly barn dances add to the allure. Bring your RV, pitch a tent, share a cabin or stay at a local B&B or hotel (cajuntravel.com/events/balfa-week).

Got Crawfish?

After last year’s low crawfish yields and high prices, fans are celebrating the far superior 2025 crawfish season.

March 20-23

Chalmette’s 50th annual Louisiana Crawfish Festival features top bands and crawfish bread, pastas, pies, étouffées and jambalaya (louisianacrawfishfestival.com). 

March 29 

The World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-Off brings Cajun bands and celebrity judges to Eunice (etouffeecookoff.org). 

March 29 

More than 60 teams boil over 40,000 pounds of crawfish for cash prizes at the 23rd annual Louisiana Crawfish Boil Championships in Marrero (lacrawfishchampionship.eventbrite.com). 

April 26 

The Original Downtown Lake Charles Crawfish Festival promotes the seafood industry with a crawfish parade, pageant, carnival and art show for Parkinson disease patients (www.visitlakecharles.org/event/this-is-home-fest). 

April 28-30 

The 10th annual NOLA Crawfish Festival, staged between both weekends of the New Orleans Jazz Festival (April 24-27 and May 1-4), provides live music, beer and hot boiled crawfish by Chris “Shaggy” Davis and his NOLA Crawfish King staff (facebook.com/nolacrawfishfestival).