NEW IBERIA, La. --- From shrimp to sugar and gumbo, Iberia Parish is getting ready for the busy fall festival season with three major festivals that will satisfy foodies and music lovers alike.

Shrimp rules at the Delcambre Shrimp Festival, which celebrates the town of Delcambre's local shrimping industry with a street fair, delicious dishes and top notch entertainment. The festival was cancelled for two years in a row because of COVID-19.

To honor the festival's 70th anniversary and to thank its sponsors there won't be a gate fee on Wednesday or on Thursday when The Cast and Wayne Toups & Zydecajun are set to perform.

Friday's lineup includes Junior LaCrosse & Sumtin Sneaky, Jamie Bergeron & Kickin' Cajuns, and Jaryd Lane & The Parish. On Saturday, the shrimp cookoff, firemen water fights and all-day fais do-do are just a prequel to the real star of the night, a concert by national recording artist Frank Foster.

On Sunday, the locals will hold a fishermen's mass followed by a blessing of the fleet and live music by Ryan Foret & Foret Tradition.

For more information and the complete schedule of events, visit ShrimpFestival.net, follow the festival on Facebook or email DelcambreShrimpFestival70528@gmail.com

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival is back to kick off grinding season. For 79 years, the festival has brought together sugar producing parishes to honor the sugar industry with royalty, delicious foods, Cajun entertainment and a great time in downtown New Iberia.

Several parades party down New Iberia’s Main Street with a street fair featuring kiddie rides and entertainment. The Cyr Gates Community Center houses numerous events during the festival including an art show, sugar cookery contest, and garden/flower show, while the SugArena @ Acadiana Fairgrounds hosts the 4-H Livestock show.

This year's fais do do lineup includes LA Roxx, Wayne Singleton, Clay Cormier & The Highway Boys, Jamie Bergeron & The Kickin' Cajuns, Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie, Rusty Metoyer & The Zydeco Krush, and The Bad Boys Band.

With newer offerings added such as Farm Fest at Shadows-on-the-Teche, to classics like the blessing of the crop, the festival is still one of the area’s favorite times of year.

For more information, activity registration and a schedule of events, visit HiSugar.org or follow the festival on Facebook.

The World Championship Gumbo Cookoff has called Iberia Parish home for more than 30 years. The Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce hosts the cookoff in Bouligny Plaza on New Iberia’s historic and award-winning Main Street on the second weekend of October.

Saturday is fondly dubbed "Cajun Creole Foodfest" with teams cooking their favorite Cajun and Creole dishes for lunch, including two mini-competitions, “Meanest Beans” and “Youth Gumbo Cookoff” throughout the day.

Down the road, the plantation home Shadows-on-the-Teche will hold its fall Arts and Crafts Fair featuring over 100 vendors from around Louisiana, with diverse handmade items from fine art to food and furniture. Admission includes a special tour of the home.

The main event happens on Sunday with the judging of more than 100 types of gumbos. Teams are divided between professional and amateur and are required to cook a minimum of 60 quarts.

Visitors can try as many types of gumbos as their hearts desire and listen to free live music all weekend. Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band, The Bad Boys, Swampland Revival, Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie, and Nonc Nu & da Wild Matous are slated to perform this year.

For more information, cookoff registration and a schedule of events, visit IberiaChamber.org/GumboCookoff, visit the festival on Facebook, email marketing@iberiachamber.org or call (337) 364-1836.

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For more information on parish events and tourism assets, call the bureau at 337-365-1540 or visit IberiaTravel.com