MORGAN CITY, LA — Louisiana’s oldest chartered harvest festival is scheduled to celebrate 88 years of tradition and family fun this upcoming Labor Day Weekend, August 31 - September 4, 2023. Music on the Heritage Stage, great Louisiana cuisine, free children’s activities, traditional events such as the Blessing of the Fleet and Water Parade and Fireworks on the River makes this one of Louisiana’s most unique and most family friendly festivals in the South.
The Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival will be held in Morgan City, only 90 miles from New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Most festivities are held within the Downtown Historic District and are free to the general public. Great food, continuous free live music and children’s activities as well as both traditional and new events will highlight this five-day extravaganza.
The 59th Labor Day Art Show & Sale will start on Wednesday, August 30th and continue through Saturday, September 23, 2023, in the downtown Everett Street Gallery. Hours to view the exhibit during the festival are 1:00PM to 5:00PM on Thursday & Friday and from 11:00AM to 5:00PM. Saturday through Monday.
Thursday, August 31st, is the official ribbon cutting that will open the festival at 5:15PM on Second Street under the U.S. 90 bridge. Also, on Thursday, Mitchell Brothers Amusement rides and games will begin at 5:00PM and continue through Monday at 9:00PM. Bracelets will be offered Thursday, August 31st from 5:00PM to 9:00PM and Monday, September 4th from NOON - 9:00PM.
Indulge your taste buds and satisfy your appetite at the Annual Cajun Culinary Classic, a showcase of local “home style” cooking featuring delicious Cajun and Creole dishes as well as a variety of desserts and other cuisines. The Cajun Culinary Classic is open 5:00PM to 11:00PM on Friday, 11:00AM to 11:00PM on Saturday and Sunday and 11:00AM to 7:00PM on Monday. Local non-profit groups, food vendors, and civic organizations benefit from the proceeds.
The 46th Arts & Crafts Show & Sale will open Friday, September 1st at 5:00PM. under the U.S. 90 bridge and continue through Monday, September 4th at 5:00PM. The event features artists and crafters mostly from south Louisiana with unique merchandise and artistic masterpieces for sale.
The Children’s Day Mini Street Parade will begin at City Hall at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 2nd. Decorated bicycles, wagons, strollers and four wheelers are welcome to participate. Registration begins day of at 10:00AM in front of City Hall.
The Children’s Village will officially open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by our 88th Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival Royal Court on Saturday, September 2nd at 1:00PM, The Children’s Village is a playland featuring games, prizes, face-painting and more. This event is free to all children. The Children’s Village will be open Saturday, September 2nd and Sunday, September 3rd from 1:00PM to 5:00PM The village will close during the Street Parade on Sunday, September 3rd beginning at 3:00PM.
The second annual Petro Pit will also take place this year. This event is an exclusive V.I.P section located in Lawrence Park. It will be open on Friday, September 1st through Monday, September 4th. Tickets for this event are now available on our website. Full weekend, all access 4-day passes are $150. Two day all access passes for Saturday & Sunday are $85.00. Daily passes will also be sold : Friday & Monday : $50.00 per day and Saturday & Sunday : $65.00 per day. Four days of : access to exclusive events, reserved area with tented seating close to the music stage, cash bar, private restrooms, and so much more! Tickets are limited so purchase yours & view the complete list of events today at https://www.shrimpandpetroleum.org/petro-pit
Downtown comes alive with continuous free live music performed at the Heritage Music Stage. The festival will feature bright, upcoming artists from the area, as well as hometown legends.
The music line for 2023 includes:
Friday, September 1, 2023
- 5:30PM - 8:30PM Born Ready Band
- 9:00PM - 11:00PM Powerhouse Band
Saturday, September 2, 2023
- 11:30AM - 2:30PM - Gospel Music in the Park
- 3:00PM - 5:00PM – Justin Cornett Band
- 5:30PM - 7:00PM – Gilberto Saucedo
- 7:30PM - 9:00PM - Deep Water Rehab
- 9:30PM - 11:00PM – Kings of Neon
Sunday, September 3, 2023
- 12:00PM - 1:00PM - Rick Lorenzo
- 1:30PM - 2:30PM – Earmuffs
- 3:00PM - 4:30PM – Queso Ra
- 5:00PM - 6:30PM – No Posers
- 7:00PM - 9:00PM – Dr. Rock
- 9:30PM - 11:00PM - Shorts in December
Monday, September 4, 2023
- 12:00PM - 2:00PM - Cliff Hillebran & Sidepiece Band
- 2:30PM - 4:30PM - Soulshine
- 5:00PM - 7:00PM - South 70
There will be many special events throughout the weekend. Cypress Car Club Open Car Show will take place on Saturday from 8:00AM to 2:00PM on the corner of Federal & Greenwood under the US 90 Bridge. The award ceremony will take place at 2:00PM at the same location.
Traditional activities on Sunday, September 3rd will take place starting with the Mass in the Park. The community will give thanks for its blessings at the Mass in the Park at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, September 3rd. It will be celebrated under the oaks in Lawrence Park and is open to the public.
Morgan City Rotary Club will be selling pancakes at the corner of Everett and 2nd Street after Mass in the Park and during the Blessing of the Fleet and Water Parade. Tickets will be $10. Contact a Rotary Member to purchase tickets. The Krewe of Dionysus will also be serving Bloody Marys and Mimosas in the park from 9:30AM - 11:30PM.
The Historic Blessing of the Fleet will begin at 10 a.m. on the Atchafalaya River from the Berwick docks and is followed by the water parade featuring decorated shrimp boats, pleasure crafts, offshore supply boats and some of the biggest “muscle” boats of the offshore industry including supply boats, crew boats and tugboats. A Certificate of Blessing and a prayer card of St. Brendan the Navigator, patron Saint of Seafarers will be presented to each participant.
The Street Parade will begin at the corner of Second and Onstead streets at 3:00PM featuring past and present royalty along with this year’s maids and their pages and visiting queens from various festivals throughout the state. Registration is open for parade participants. Visit our website or contact the office for more information. Fireworks on the River will begin at 9:00PM Sunday evening. Grab a spot in Lawrence Park, on top of the seawall or on the La. 182 bridge and enjoy the spectacular fireworks. Tune your radio to 95.3 KQKI to listen to the synchronized music.
The festival began in 1936 when the placid port of Morgan City and Berwick received the first boatload of jumbo shrimp, fresh from the deepest Gulf waters. The festival became the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in 1967, when the oil industry was firmly implanted into the local economy.
The festival has grown to become one of the state’s premiere festivals. The festival was voted Festival of the Year in Division III for the past 10 years by the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals, a top 100 American Bus Association event and a top 20 Southeast Tourism Society event. In July of 1991 Time magazine described the festival as “...the best, the most unusual, the most down-home, the most moving and the most fun that the country has to offer.”
Festival organizers invite you to bring your family to Morgan City for Labor Day weekend to enjoy 88 years of tradition and family fun. For more information, contact the Festival Office at (985) 385-0703, or visit the festival’s website at www.shrimpandpetroleum.org. For a Festival Schedule, contact the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau at (800) 256-2931, the Festival office at the above number, or visit our website.
