Louisiana celebrates just about everything that contributes to the state's unique culture: music, history and—of course—food. Whether we grow it, catch it or cook it from scratch, Louisiana's natural bounty and blend of cultures supplies residents and visitors with plenty of reasons to party.

The state's tropical climate and fertile grounds are a paradise for a huge range of crops including strawberries, pecans and peaches and there's a festival for each one of them (in Ponchatoula, Colfax and Ruston, respectively). Crowley hosts the Rice Festival and Beauregard celebrates the Watermelon Festival and that's just a few of the events that can boast a homegrown status, literally and figuratively.

If seafood's your game, the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival features that delicious crustacean served every possible way. The Franklin Parish Catfish Festival in Winnsboro fries 4,000 pounds of catfish amidst strolling street performers and live music and the Amite Oyster Festival is a full weekend of entertainment and delicious oysters. The Shrimp and Petroleum Festival may seem an unlikely combination, but Morgan City pulls out all the stops to celebrate two of the state's biggest exports.

Louisiana's unique dishes inspire festivals as numerous as the cultures that inspired the local cuisine. New Orleans hosts a festival dedicated to those beloved po'boy sandwiches—the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival. In Natchitoches, the Meat Pie Festival takes place in the historic downtown next to Cane River Lake. Tamales are toasted in Zwolle, when the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta celebrates the Spanish and American Indian heritage of the region. Still hungry? Head to LaPlace for the Andouille Festival, Scott for the Boudin Festival and Bridge City for the Gumbo Festival. If you like things spicy, New Iberia's Cajun Hot Sauce Festival attracts the hottest sauces and the hottest Cajun and zydeco music.