SHAKE YOUR TRAIL FEATHER PADDLE PARADE OCTOBER 21, 2023

Paddle with us to celebrate the beautiful Bayou Teche National Paddle Trail! Our whacky Paddle Parade will start behind Poche’s Meat Market. Once again, we will have 2 options to paddle:

The typical 4.5 mi./2 hr. paddle to Parc des Ponts in Breaux Bridge OR a longer 6.5 mi./2.45 hr. paddle to Lil’s on the Teche in Breaux Bridge.

Registration is now open on Eventbrite. All tickets include a Festival Pin with this year’s bird: the Northern Cardinal. There will be a Pre-Paddle Shuttle ($5 cash at the bus) from each location. (The shuttle bus leaves Lil’s at 9 a.m. and Parc des Ponts at 9:15 a.m.). Two bands on decorated barges will accompany the paddlers down the bayou to set the mood! Starting at noon, there will be lunch trucks, libations, merch sales, kids’ activities and live music by Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band until 2 p.m. for FREE at the park. If you choose the longer paddle, you will still have time to play at the park, so plan to have lunch with us and support The TECHE Project.

Please note that registration does not include kayak rental, lunch or shuttle.

If you are interested in renting a boat with a life vest for the Paddle to the Party, contact Bayou Teche Experience, Pack and Paddle or The Backpacker (needs two-week advance notice). We also ask that the parade be limited to non-motorized watercraft.

This event is a fundraiser for The TECHE Project, and proceeds go toward building the Bayou Teche National Paddle Trail, which has access docks and other amenities for paddlers in the 15 towns along Bayou Teche.

If you have access to the Bayou Teche between Poche Bridge and Breaux Bridge, join us on the bank for parade viewing and a good time as we “Shake Our Trail Feathers” down the bayou!

Many thanks to our 2023 Festival Sponsors: 

Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District, SLEMCO, Poche’s Meat Market, Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve – Acadian Cultural Center, Courtesy Automotive, Pack & Paddle, St. Martin Parish Tourism Commission, Breaux Bridge Chamber of Commerce, the City of Breaux Bridge and St. Bernard School.