Cajun music and crawfish are back at this spicy NJ festival

If your idea of a Jersey weekend is boardwalk fries and sausage sandwiches, this event in Sussex County is a reminder that New Jersey can surprise you.

One of the state’s most unique food festivals is back, and it’s bringing a whole lot of Louisiana with it.

Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest returns May 29-31 to the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, marking the 33rd year for the event that somehow turned a North Jersey field into a little slice of the bayou.

According to nj.com it started in 1989 as a simple crawfish boil for about 70 homesick Louisiana transplants and grew into something much bigger.

And honestly, in a state where every festival seems to become another excuse to sell fried Oreos and lemon ice, this one sounds like a trip worth taking.

This isn’t just a food event.

It’s three days of Cajun and zydeco music, plus Delta blues, New Orleans brass, gospel, and jazz.

The lineup this year includes Samantha Fish, Rebirth Brass Band, Cowboy Mouth, and more than a dozen other acts spread across two stages.

Then there’s the food, which is really the point for most people.

We’re talking boiled crawfish hauled in from Louisiana, crawfish étouffée, jambalaya, shrimp and catfish po’ boys, char-grilled oysters, shrimp and grits, and yes, alligator sausage if you're feeling adventurous.

Frankly? You had me at jambalaya. Authentic Louisiana jambalaya is to die for. Oh, and I don't know about when it's in sausage form, but I tried alligator nuggets (just like breaded chicken nuggets) in New Orleans and it was good, just briny tasting.

Tickets start at $48 and can be purchased here. You can get single-day, two-day combos, or a four-day camping package with three nights admission. You'll find the fairgrounds in Augusta at 37 Plains Road.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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