Bayou Bacchanal

Bayou Bacchanal is the official Caribbean carnival of New Orleans. In 2001, citizens of New Orleans who are originally from the various islands of the Caribbean formed Friends of Culture, a non-profit organization. As a non-profit group, Friends of Culture raises money to fund the festival and to donate to local cultural-exchange programs in the greater New Orleans area. One of the main goals of the organization is to bring awareness of Caribbean culture to Louisiana and surrounding states.

The festival is one of the many unique carnivals of New Orleans. However, Bayou Bacchanal is the only one of its kind in the city. The most remarkable features of Bayou Bacchanal are the masqueraders that dance through the city streets to the pulsating beats of steel drums, which are indigenous instruments of Trinidad and Tobago. Moreover Bayou Bacchanal, like other Caribbean festivals, encourages full participation from the partakers in the parade who dress in traditional costumes and take the parade to its final destination in Armstrong Park to finish the festival with concerts, access to authentic Caribbean cuisine, products and original crafts.

As a part of the festival's culture, Bayou Bacchanal is only one stop for the festival lovers. Throughout the year, party goers will follow the Caribbean party to cities all over North America. For example, a group of people may participate in the Caribbean festival in Toronto, Canada, drive to Atlanta, Georgia for another, afterward leave to Miami, Florida's event and then make a final stop in New Orleans, Louisiana for the Bayou Bacchanal. Every year almost every major city in North America holds a Caribbean festival.

Bayou Bacchanal takes place every first Saturday of November where the weather is near perfect in New Orleans for outside activities.

External links

* [http://www.bayoubacchanal.org The official website of Bayou Bacchanal]