Acadian Culture Day
August 10, 2025
Welcome to our 23rd annual Acadian Culture Celebration! This event is focused on celebrating, demonstrating, and honoring Acadian heritage in Acadiana and beyond! So many different groups contributed to the unique folklife of Acadiana. As you dance, eat, explore, and learn, consider the impact of this history and tradition on the Acadian & Cajun experience of today!
The Acadian Cultural Preservation Award
The Acadian Cultural Preservation Award has been given out since 1999 to the members of our community who have dedicated so much of their time to the preservation of the the Acadian and Cajun traditions, history, culture, food, music, language, and more.
To date, twenty-two local individuals or organizations have received the award for their outstanding contributions in the community and the furtherance of the culture, acting as role models for the future generations, being involved with local cultural organizations, and are active ambassadors and promoters of the Acadian and Cajun culture and heritage.
• 1999 –Aldus Roger • 2000 -Floyd Sonnier
• 2001 – Cami Doucet • 2002 – Floyd Sonnier
• 2003 – Warren Perrin • 2004 – Eddie Richard
• 2005 – A.J. LeBlanc • 2006 – Karl Breaux
• 2007 – Pete Bergeron • 2008 – Elaine Clément
• 2009 – Dr. Carl Brasseaux • 2010 Dr. Ray Brassieur and Edward Cazayoux
• 2011- Pat Mire • 2012 – The Michot Family
• 2015 Barry Ancelet • 2016 – Al Broussard
• 2017 – Merlin Fontenot • 2018 – CODOFIL
• 2019 – Sheryl Cormier • 2021 – The Savoy Family
• 2023 – Madeline DeHart • 2024 Kirby Jambon
Colby LeJeune is the 2025 Acadian Cultural Heritage Award recipient. He is a passionate and tireless ambassador for the Acadian culture and Louisiana French. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in French at ULL, and his dissertation focuses on documenting place names and recording native Louisiana French speakers. Colby hosts a daily French-language radio show on KRVS-FM. He broadcasts entirely in French, making his show one of the most immersive and authentic expressions of Louisiana French on the air. Colby worked at Vermilionville as an interpreter, bring the story and culture of the Acadians alive for visitors. At Festival Acadiens et Créoles. he serves as a stage presenter, introducing Cajun and Créole bands. He is also an active member of the Cajun French Music Association. Colby is also a French writer, contributing poems and short stories to Acadiana Profile and other publications, He also attends French Tables throughout the area. He teaches online courses for the Alliance Française de Lafayette.
Congratulations and merci beaucoup, Colby LeJeune!
A celebration of music!
Cameron Fontenot & the Rhythm Aces — Performance Center 11 AM
Bonsoir Catin in the Performance Center 2 PM
Feeling Hungry?
Our Acadian Culture Day is sponsored in part by the Lafayette Consolidated Government, the Acadiana Center for the Arts, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival & Foundation.
ABOUT THE BAYOU VERMILION DISTRICT
Since 1984, Bayou Vermilion District has worked to beautify, conserve, and manage sites along the Vermilion, ensuring the preservation and enhancement of the natural, cultural resources for its citizens. The Bayou Vermilion District’s mission focuses on the environment and the unique culture of Lafayette. On the cultural side of our mission, the Bayou Vermilion District opened the Vermilionville Living History Museum and Folklife Park as a way to increase appreciation for the history, culture, and natural resources of the Native Americans, Acadians, Creoles, and peoples of African descent in the Attakapas region through the end of the 1800s. Through historic interpretation and conservation along the Bayou Vermilion, we strive to educate guests on the interactions of these groups and the connections between past and contemporary folklife, thus empowering guests to apply these lessons from our shared histories. For more information, please visit www.bayouvermiliondistrict.org or Vermilionville.org.