Over the last several years the final day of Lafayette’s Festival International has turned into one of Louisiana’s best music and food parties.

Jazz Fest can’t hold a candle.

But the violence that has plagued New Orleans for decades migrated westward to downtown Lafayette on Saturday night where a wild scene played out on Jefferson Street as a group of people brawled before one ne’er do well produced a handgun and killed a man.

While the Festival went on on Sunday, attendance was light as would-be partygoers opted to stay home on the slight chance that a payback could be part of the Sunday offering.

The fears were unwarranted as the final day of the party was peaceful and the only skirmishes were on the dancefloor and of the two-step variety.

The crowd of thousands did little more than feast, get drunk and dance; just another weekend afternoon in Louisiana.

We rambled from stage to stage and bar to bar, stopping in between to load up on food from vendors on the street. As usual Bon Creole was our favorite but the Filipino lady was a close second.

The Green Room had an excellent assortment of draft beer and provided some much needed a/c once the afternoon heat came down heavy.

We always look forward to a seafood pistolette from Poupart Bakery but this one was old, tough and stale. Every restaurant has an off day, and our love of Poupart continues unabated but this dish should’ve never been served.

We’re not sure where Antlers gets their meat pies but they are always one of the Festival’s food highlights. While the quality had slipped a mite this year it was still one of our favorite dishes.

We spend as much time as possible in Acadiana. Here’s our most recent report from Mamou.