For Acadiana Eats Festival visitors this weekend, when you arrive matters, because the food lineup changes.
Friday brings fewer vendors for an evening billed as “Champions Night.” Saturday expands the selection, with Laura’s II, Mama’s Fried Chicken, Central Pizza and Mimi’s Thai Truck among the scheduled participants.
The fifth Acadiana Eats Festival is scheduled for October 23–24 at West Village in Scott, Louisiana. Admission is free, and the move to two days adds a Friday-night opening before the Saturday gathering.
At the center are the participating restaurants and food vendors. Alongside the music and fall activities, Saturday’s visitors will help decide which participant earns the Best of the Fest title.
Here is how the two days differ, which businesses are scheduled to participate and what to know before heading out.
A Friday Opening Adds Another Way to Attend
The festival’s official event page lists Friday’s hours as 5–10 p.m. and Saturday’s as 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
That creates two distinct ways to attend: an evening visit to the opening celebration or a daytime outing with the broader Saturday vendor lineup.
For returning visitors, the additional night is the clearest change. For newcomers, the key detail is that the food roster differs between the two days.
If you want to visit a particular restaurant, check its scheduled day rather than assume every participant will be present all weekend.
The setting is West Village in Scott. Visitors should consult the organizer’s event page for the latest location and arrival information before leaving.
Friday Starts With Five Food Vendors
Friday’s “Champions Night” will feature Dezmeaux’s Boudin, Jett’s Crawfish Drive-Thru, Moore’s II Soul Food Cafe, Reggie’s Soul Food, and Southern Kreole.
The shorter lineup gives opening night a different character from Saturday. Visitors can focus on five businesses rather than the full weekend roster.
For diners who already know one of those names, Friday offers a chance to find a familiar business at the festival. For those who don’t, the evening offers an introduction before the larger Saturday gathering.
Those same five vendors also appear on Saturday’s list, giving visitors another chance to visit them.
That overlap helps anyone deciding between the two days. The choice is not entirely between separate groups of restaurants, but between a smaller evening selection and a larger daytime gathering.
Saturday Broadens the Restaurant Mix
Saturday’s scheduled lineup expands to 16 food vendors.
Alongside Friday’s participants, the roster includes Bosco’s Specialty Meats, Central Pizza, C’est Bon Manger, Crawfish Hut Bar & Grill, Empanada Guy, Kartchner’s Specialty Meats, Landry Brothers Catering, Laura’s II, Mama’s Fried Chicken, Mimi’s Thai Truck and Vautrot’s Mini Mart.
Together, they make this a broader gathering than a festival devoted to one dish.
The organizer describes Cajun and Creole cuisine as part of the event’s focus. The announced participants also include businesses named for pizza, empanadas, and Thai cooking.
That range gives groups room to follow different appetites without leaving the festival grounds. One visitor may arrive looking for a familiar restaurant, while another may want to try a business for the first time.
The weekend’s appeal is not that every vendor offers the same kind of meal. It is the opportunity to encounter several parts of the area’s food community in one place.
Menus should be checked at the individual booths, where visitors can see what is being served that day.
Leave Room for the Sweet Spot
The announced “Sweet Spot” includes Churros Boutique, Emmy’s Ice Cream, Gingerbread Twins and Simply Carmelicious.
For visitors planning their food stops, that adds another decision beyond which savory vendor to try first.
A dessert stop can come after a meal or become its own reason to pause between other activities. Either way, it is worth looking over the full selection before committing to the first order.
The participant names provide a starting point, but each booth’s offerings will determine what ends up on the table.
For groups with different tastes, walking through the food area before ordering can help everyone see the choices and decide where to begin.
Visitors Help Decide Best of the Fest
Saturday’s public voting gives attendees a role beyond ordering food.
Guests are scheduled to have the opportunity to sample dishes and vote for a favorite for Best of the Fest. A separate panel will select a Judge’s Choice Award.
Those are two different recognitions: one reflects participating visitors’ votes, while the other reflects the judging panel’s decision.
The competition adds a point of conversation to the day. What makes one offering memorable? Is it the seasoning, the preparation, or how the elements work together?
Visitors need not agree on the answer to enjoy comparing their choices.
Anyone planning to vote should follow the event’s on-site instructions. That will clarify how to participate, rather than leaving diners to assume a purchase automatically counts as a vote.
A Restaurant Gathering During Festival Season
Scott’s event arrives during an October calendar filled with food and cultural gatherings across the region.
Acadiana Profile’s October festival guide identifies this as the festival’s first two-day edition and places it among the month’s regional events.
Acadiana Eats brings multiple food businesses together, so visitors don’t have to plan separate restaurant stops.
For residents, that can mean finding a familiar name alongside a business they haven’t tried. For out-of-town visitors, the lineup offers a starting point for deciding which restaurants they might seek out later.
The festival is connected to KLFY’s Acadiana Eats coverage with host Gerald Gruenig. Its restaurant-centered format keeps the participating businesses at the heart of the gathering, even as music and other activities fill out the weekend.
More Than a Food Stop
The organizer also advertises live music, pop-up vendors, children’s activities, and a pumpkin patch.
These additions give groups something to consider beyond the next food order, especially when not everyone wants to eat at the same time.
Friday evening hours and Saturday daytime hours offer different windows for fitting the event into the weekend.
For anyone attending primarily for food, the day-specific restaurant roster remains the most useful planning detail.
What to Know Before Going
- Dates: Friday, October 23, and Saturday, October 24, 2026.
- Hours: Friday, 5–10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Venue: West Village in Scott, Louisiana.
- Admission: Free entry. Food and drinks are separate.
- Competition: Public Best of the Fest voting and a separate Judge’s Choice Award are scheduled for Saturday.
Vendor participation and activities are subject to change. Check the organizer’s latest updates before heading out.
The weekend brings familiar names and possible new favorites into one place. Will the next memorable meal come from a restaurant you already love or a booth you have never tried?
