What the Louisiana Cattle Festival Is
The Louisiana Cattle Festival is a three-day street festival in downtown Abbeville that celebrates the cattle industry in Vermilion Parish. It is one of the older festivals in the state: the 75th edition was held in 2025, and the most recent festival ran October 2-4, 2026. Admission is free. Visitors come for the parade, the queen's pageant, the cattle events, live music, vendors and food, and for contests that are as much about showing off as about cattle.
How It Started
The festival began on September 24, 1949. Roy R. Theriot, Sr., who managed the Abbeville Chamber of Commerce and had served as mayor, started it. It was first called the Dairy Festival and was renamed in 1979 to honor the state's cattle industry.
2026 Hours
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Friday, October 2 | 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, October 3 | 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, October 4 | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
What's on the Program
- Contests: rib eating, ice cream eating, whip cracking and a fais-do-do dance competition. The festival site also advertises a queen's pageant.
- Parades: a grand parade, plus a second parade during the weekend.
- Cattle: live cattle demonstrations and, in earlier years, a cattle livestock show.
- Music and dancing: live entertainment and a fais-do-do.
- Vendors and kids: arts and crafts, food, commercial and music vendors, exhibits and children's activities.
The 65th festival in 2014 also ran a baby show, a cooking contest, a 5K run, a BB gun tournament and a street fair, which shows how the program has grown around the central cattle theme over the decades.
Where to Go
The festival takes place in downtown Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, in the Concord Street area. The 2026 festival ran the first weekend of October.
Cost
Admission is free. Food, drinks and vendor purchases are paid separately. Vendors can apply for art and craft or food booths through the festival's online vendor forms.
Questions
Do I need a ticket?
No. The festival is free to attend.
Is there something for kids?
Yes. Children's activities are part of the program, and earlier years had a baby show.
Who do I call?
Vermilion tourism publishes festival contact numbers: 337-652-0646 or 337-385-2397.
Official Links
- Louisiana Cattle Festival listing
- Vermilion Parish Tourism: Louisiana Cattle Festival
- 2026 Louisiana Cattle Festival: hours and contests
- South Louisiana fall festivals 2026
- KPEL: Louisiana Cattle Festival in Abbeville: history and past program
- KATC: 75th festival
- Arts and crafts vendor form
Other Upcoming Events Nearby
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3701 Hudson Ave., Shreveport, LA 71109 | Organizer: State Fair of Louisiana Official event details - Allen Parish Fair
Four-day parish fair at the Allen Parish Fairgrounds on Tiger Lane in Oberlin, with general and agricultural exhibits. Held each year; the 2025 fair ran Nov. 12-15 and the 2026 fair is set for Nov. 11-14.
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- Christmas Time at the Farm
Holiday farm day in Bossier City on the LSU AgCenter events calendar, set for December 12, 2026.
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Three-day April festival celebrating Louisiana's state fruit in Memorial Park, with local growers selling berries on Farmers Row, strawberry-eating contests and a Saturday parade; the next dates are April 9-11, 2027.
Listing checked Nov. 11, 2026 against this source. Details can change; confirm with the organizer.