Daphne festival to feature crawfish, music this weekend

Kenneth Nobles leads a dance instruction class during the 2008 Gulf Coast Zydeco Music & Crawfish Festival at the Daphne Civic Center. The seventh annual festival takes place this weekend.

DAPHNE, Alabama -- With the seventh annual Gulf Coast Zydeco Music & Crawfish Festival set for this weekend, this suburban Baldwin County city will once again briefly become home to a slice of rural lower Louisiana.

Here’s how the Zydeco Festival’s entertainment schedule breaks down, according to information provided by the Daphne Civic Center:

FRIDAY

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
5:30-6:15 p.m. — dance instruction
6:15-7:45p.m. — Leroy Thomas & the Zydeco Roadrunners
7:45-8 p.m. — dance instruction
8-9:30 p.m. — Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble
9:30-10 p.m. — dance instruction
10-midnight — T Broussard & Zydeco Steppers

SATURDAY

Doors open at 1 p.m.
1-1:45 p.m. — dance instruction
2-3:30 p.m. — Leon Chavis & the Zydeco Flames
3:45-5:15 p.m. — Mary Jane Broussard & Creole LaLa
5:15-6 p.m. — dance instruction
6-7:30 p.m. — Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band
7:30-8 p.m. — dance instruction
8-9:30 p.m. — Leon Chavis & the Zydeco Flames
9:45-11:30 p.m. — Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble

SUNDAY

Doors open at 12:30 p.m.
12:30-1:15 p.m. — dance instruction
1:15-2:45 p.m. — Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys
2:45-3:15 p.m. — dance instruction
3:15-4:45 p.m. — Terry & the Zydeco Bad Boys
5-6:30 p.m. — Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie

"It’s going to be a blast," said Margaret Thigpen, director of the Daphne Civic Center. "We had just a two-day festival last year, but we’re back to three this year and we have a number of fun things planned."
In addition to world-class music, instructors will provide lessons in how to dance Louisiana-style.The event, as always, will feature a range of Louisiana-style food, dancing and music, and draws fans from throughout the region. This year, activities for children will take place Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m., including an inflatable jump room, face painting, temporary tattoos and more, she said.
Admission is $20 per day or $50 for a three-day pass.
In the past, some events taking place outside the Civic Center were free to the public while admission was only charged for performances and other activities taking place inside the facility, she said. This year, admission must be paid at the gate for the entire event, Thigpen said.
Crawfish and other Creole and Cajun food will be available for purchase throughout the event.