Plus food, art, kids activities and special events
The 40th Annual SWEPCO Mudbug Madness Festival returns to the riverfront this Memorial Day weekend with music, food and fun for everyone. The festival, to be held May 24-26, will run from 11 am to 11 pm each day. Friday there is no charge until 5 pm. After 5 pm on Friday, admission is $10.00 through the remaining of the festival. Free admission is offered to children under 10 and to anyone showing a Military ID. A 3-day pass is available at the gate for $15.00.
Mudbug Madness will feature two performing stages featuring 30 bands, Kids on the Bayou Stage and activities, artisan booths, food vendors, crawfish eating contests, festival souvenirs, green spaces, a Latin night, and plenty of cold beverages and boiled crawfish.
The Centerpoint Energy Stage presented by NBC 6 and Townsquare Media will feature headline performers Grammy-award winning Terrance Simien, Cowboy Mouth, Dwayne Dopsie and country recording artist Sammy Kershaw. Other performers on that stage include: Diki Du & the Zydeco Krewe, Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble, Blue Crab Redemption, Jamie Bergeron & the Kickin’ Cajuns, and Craig Wayne Boyd.
The FOX 33 Swamp Stage presented by Cumulus Radio will feature rising country star, Reed Foley, Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs, Barksdale Bubble, Pocket Change and Chasin Benjamins to name a few.
A special addition to this year’s festival will be Latin Night on the Swamp Stage, Sunday, May 26, from 6:30-8:30 pm. Presented by 318 Latino and KSLA, it will feature three Latino Bands: Los Cazadores de Cerro, Boyz of Kumbia and La Actualidad Nortena.
Kids on the Bayou will feature magicians, dancers, music, hands-on activities, Shreveport Aquarium Mining Booth, Nerf Maze and art and food vendors.
Special events will include the popular Celebrity Crawfish Eating Contest at noon on opening day featuring local on-air personalities and VIPs, the crowd-thrilling Men’s Crawfish Eating Contest Saturday at 1 pm, Crawfish Calling Contest Saturday at 4:15 pm and the Women’s Crawfish Eating Contest Sunday at 2:30 pm.
Returning this year on Friday will be $5.00 Lunch Specials and Happy Hour $3.00 beverage prices 11 am to 7 pm. Also, returning is the Shiner Bock Beer Garden featuring Shiner products, bar tables and yard games. A second green space has been added to The Swamp featuring picnic tables and yard games. There will also be the popular Mudbug Madness Treasure Hunt to begin Friday, May 10 with the first clue released in the 10 pm KTAL NBC 6 newscast each night and posted on social media the following morning. This year’s Treasure Hunt is sponsored by Louisiana Association of the Blind. Social media posts will be made audible for the hearing impaired.
“We are very excited to be celebrating 40 years of Mudbug Madness,” says Executive Director, Terri Mathews. “In addition to exceptional music and food, every inch of the festival site will be full of exciting vendors and programming including interactive sponsor booths, tasting booths, a beer garden, green space, special events & contests, and fun! Mudbug Madness touches all of one’s senses,” says Mathews. “The sights, sounds and smells will be the perfect kick-off to summertime.”
For more information on Mudbug Madness, please visit www.mudbugmadness.com.
