Get ready, get ready, get ready!

Let the good times flow during our 7th Annual Bayou Vermilion Festival & Boat Parade set for Sunday, May 20th, which includes our Catfish Rodeo & Cook-Off. The festival begins at Vermilionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park (300 Fisher Road, Lafayette, LA 70508). The purpose of event is to increase awareness of the river as a viable source of recreation for Lafayette Parish citizens. In addition, we celebrate the efforts of Bayou Vermilion District to conserve and preserve sites along the river, trash/debris clean up and water quality management.

The Bayou Vermilion Festival kicks off at Vermilionville with various free activities - yoga, face painting, kids' crafts, a bubbles station, live music and much more! Arrive at 10 a.m. to partake or earlier to taste various catfish dishes during our Cook-Off. You can begin fishing as early as 7 a.m. - if you are pre-registered.

CATFISH RODEO & COOK-OFF TIMELINE

7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. | Catfish Rodeo Registration at Vermilionville, Beaver Park & Rotary Point

7:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. | Catfish Rodeo commences and ends at Vermilionville; pre-registrants can begin at 7:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Catfish Cook-off at Vermilionville - Pre-registrants can begin set-up only at 9:00 a.m. If you did not pre-register online, please arrive at 8:30 a.m. to complete registration.

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.|Rodeo weigh-in at Bayou Vermilion District dock

12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.|Catfish Cook-off Tasting & Judging

12:45 p.m. |Catfish Rodeo & Cook-Off Awards and Kayak Raffle held on the dock of Vermilionville

Begin your paddle at Vermilionville at 2 p.m. with a celebratory toast by this year?s Grand Marshal. The parade ends at the Camellia Bridge Canoe and Kayak Launch near the Camellia Blvd. Bridge with a celebration complete with live music by Patrick Henry and the Liberation Band, food, drinks and lots of fun.

Online pre-registration is open for the 7th Annual Boat Parade & Catfish Rodeo and Cook-Off but closes on May 19th. Yes, you can register on-site the day of the event. Be sure to rent your vessels online TODAY for the boat parade, if necessary; limited supply available.

For details and to pre-register for the Catfish Rodeo & Cook-Off, visit www.BayouVermilionDistrict.org for all things Bayou Fest (including rules, supplies needed, boat parade, etc.)!

Join us for this great day on the Vermilion. Contact Brady McKellar at 337.233.4077 x.211 for questions or Greg Guidroz at 337.233.4077 x. 215.