Festivals Acadiens et Créoles is all about the music, dancing and food that makes southwest Louisiana's French culture come alive — and it's also about the longstanding ties that sustain the culture. 

Friday night, the festival kicked off in Lafayette's Girard Park with the ceremonial cutting of the boudin, from Johnson's Boucanière. Dignitaries from Mayor-President Boulet to Laurent Bili, the French ambassador to the U.S., were present for a breezy Louisiana fall evening as Louisiana singer, writer and French language activist Zachary Richard prepared to step on stage.  

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Zachary Richard performs during Festivals Acadiens et Creoles Friday October, 10, 2025, at Girard Park in Lafayette, La.

It's the start of a special week in Acadiana, with a number of free events focused on the region's Louisiana French culture taking place across the area.

Under Saturday's sunny skies, the music schedule featured a mix of French-influenced acts, including Jourdan Thibodeaux et Les Rôdailleurs, Pine Leaf Boys, Chris Ardoin & Nu-Step Zydeco and Cedric Watson et Bijou Créole.

Ambassador Bili also planned to attend the opening of Le Grand Réveil Acadien, or Great Acadian Awakening, Saturday in Abbeville. 

As they welcomed an excited Friday night crowd to Festivals Acadiens, Boulet and Charlotte Bazelaire the mayor of Lafayette's twin city in Namur, Belgium, exchanged a hug. The two mayors share a charge to strengthen the ties of friendship between their cities in Louisiana and Belgium, and a recent development will enshrine those ties in a new neighborhood in Namur. 

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Fesitival goers dance and enjoy the music of Zachary Richard during Festivals Acadiens et Creoles Friday October, 10, 2025, at Girard Park in Lafayette, La.

Frédéric Laloux, the Namur commissioner for international relations, shared that Namur is planning a new residential development in the city that will have street names inspired by Lafayette, such as Parc de Vermilionville, Sentier des Créoles and Rue de l'Acadiana. 

"It's a brand new neighborhood, where there were only cattle fields before," said Laloux, who mentioned that the neighborhood, designed for families, will also have sports infrastructure. 

Last year, Namur also unveiled a mural that celebrates its ties to Louisiana through art.  

"The relationship between the people of Namur and Lafayette is very true, very sincere, almost like a family," Laloux said. Charlotte Bazelaire agreed, saying that Lafayette and Namur's shared French culture is the foundation of the relationship. 

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Ben Berthelot, president and CEO of Lafayette Travel, from left; Rodolphe Sambou, Consul General of the France in New Orleans; Laurent Bili, French ambassador to the United States; Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet; Charlotte Bazelaire, mayor of Namur, Belgium; and State Reps. Annie Spell and Julie Emerson react as links of boudin break before the official first cut during the opening cutting ceremony of Festivals Acadiens et Creoles Friday October, 10, 2025, at Girard Park in Lafayette, La.

"We have that common base in language, but we can still understand the differences that make us unique," the Belgian mayor said. "It's like magic to find some of our culture here in the United States."  

As Zachary Richard stepped on stage, the French language celebration continued. The singer, who performed at the second Festivals Acadiens et Créoles 51 years ago, is just as passionate today about advancing the French language and identity in the state, arguing that Louisiana writers, singers and creatives of all kinds should see themselves as part of an active, global Francophone tradition. 

Richard has sat at the top of that tradition for decades now, creating music, stories and books of poetry in French that show the continued vibrancy of the Louisiana French culture. In the middle of his set on Friday, the artist stopped singing for a moment to speak to the crowd, saying that he hates to use English at all at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles. 

"I don't want to alienate those of you who haven't had the privilege of learning to speak French," he said, charging them to learn in time for next year's festival. 

"French doesn't make you a better person," he said. "It deepens your connection to your heritage." 

Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@theadvocate.com.