On March 26, 1974, CODOFIL presented the first Tribute to Cajun Music concert in Lafayette's Blackham Coliseum. In 1976, CODOFIL moved its Tribute to Cajun Music to Girard Park near the lake and to the fall. The Natural History Museum and CODOFIL agreed to hold their respective events on the same weekend. In 1977, the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission broadened the range, joining their own Bayou Food Festival, then held in the Lafayette Municipal Auditorium near the Natural History Museum. The combination of these three events focusing on the crafts, music and food of South Louisiana served as the basis for a co-op called Festivals Acadiens. Since then, Festivals Acadiens' events have continued to evolve, both on their own and together. The three have grown to become three-day events. In 1980, CODOFIL's annual Tribute to Cajun Music, which had already moved to the other side of Girard Park to accommodate growing crowds, was renamed the Festival de Musique Acadienne/Cajun Music Festival. Sponsorship of the music festival passed on to the Lafayette Jaycees who had already become involved in Festivals Acadiens through the Bayou Food Festival and the Acadiana Fair & Trade Show. The Bayou Food Festival moved outdoors to make dancing and eating available in the same place. The Natural History Museum added a contemporary crafts component to their festival. More recently, the Heritage Stage, Jam Ca Tent and an Anniversary Stage at the Hilliard Museum have been added. The Louisiana Crafts Guild now produces the Louisiana Craft Fair in Girard Park. Today's Festivals Acadiens et Creoles encompasses the entire full second weekend in October, with a symposium, art exhibit, six stages of music, more than 60 bands, food, crafts, cooking demonstrations, childrens' activities, a French Mass, sports tent and lots more for all ages.
