A Fresh Perspective on Travel Every Day
A fiddle scratches out a sweet wail in a sweatbox dance hall. The wheeze of a button accordion adds a waltzing rhythm. These are the beginning bars of Cajun music, the aural legacy of rural southern Louisiana. It’s a soundtrack that can alternately move you to tears or intense dancing (and sometimes both) in the space of a few bars.
Though Cajun and zydeco music are not native to New Orleans (they’re rooted in Acadiana, the area around Lafayette), they’ve made a solid and lasting impression on the Big Easy’s musical scene. You’ll see lots of Cajun and zydeco bands at all major New Orleans festivals, including Jazz Fest, the French Quarter Festival, and (obviously) the Cajun-Zydeco Festival.