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Since 1883, the city of Thibodaux has hosted the ever-popular Thibodaux Firemen’s Fair. “A Thibodaux tradition that has spread like wildfire,” this year’s event will be nothing less than spectacular, with food, rides, music, and a parade all to raise money for the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department. Always scheduled for the first weekend in May, The Firemen’s Fair will take place May 3-6 at the Firemen’s Fairgrounds, 1101 Tiger Drive, Thibodaux. There is no entry fee to get into the fair, so bring the family to enjoy the weekend of fun.
A Louisiana fair wouldn’t be the same without delicious cuisine, and the Firemen’s is no exception. There will be no shortage of food or drinks at the fair from authentic Cajun dishes and traditional fair foods to their famous Firemen’s Fair burger. In order to reduce the wait time in line for food and drink tickets, the fair has installed ten automated ticket machines around the fairgrounds.
Live music is a huge part of what the public has come to expect from the Firemen’s Fair. This year’s headliner is LANCO, who was the Academy of Country Music’s 2018 nominee for Vocal Group of the Year and New Vocal Group of the Year. Other artists performing throughout the weekend include Ryan Foret and the Foret Tradition, Epic, Category 6, Sister Hazel, Kerry Thibodaux, Voodoo Bayou, Sheaux Down, Velvet Sky/ Mule Kick, Tet Dur, Chubby Carrier, Don Rich, and Waylon Thibodaux.
Carnival rides will welcome children of all ages from Thursday through Sunday. The Fair offers a pay-one-price bracelet option for each day. Enjoy the Ferris wheel, bumper cars, carnival games and more.
Saturday at the festival welcomes the seventh annual Firemen’s 5k and fun run. Registration for the 5k is $20 and the fun run will cost $10. The route will bring participants through Thibodaux’s historic Downtown District to the finish line at the fairgrounds entrance, where commemorative Firemen’s Marathon Medals and refreshments will be waiting. This year, Lemonade Day will be celebrated at the Fairgrounds as well, with local children learning about owning their own business through running a lemonade stand.
Sunday brings the annual Firemen’s Fair parade to the city of Thibodaux, starting at 11 a.m. The oldest running parade in the state of Louisiana, thisyear’s Grand Marshall is Lester S. Bimah, a managing partner of Barker Honda. The parade begins at St. Joseph’s Elementary, and then proceeds down Menard Street, Fifth Street, and St. Mary’s Street, before turning down Tiger Drive to end at the fairgrounds.
On both Saturday and Sunday, live and silent auctions will be held to raise money. Saturday’s auction is at 6 p.m. under the big tent on the fairgrounds. Sunday’s auction will be held inside the parade float barn immediately following the parade. A raffle will also be held at the end of the fair. Prizes vary from gift cards to cash, with a grand prize of $10,000 cash, donated by the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department.
The fair and parade are a wild success both locally and statewide, attracting more than 50,000 people each year. The net proceeds from the 2017 fair came to $910,013, grossing about $1.3 million, which was the highest total in fair history.
The 2018 fair hours are: Thursday, 5-11 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m. – midnight; Saturday, 11 a.m.-12:30 a.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. For more information and schedule details, visit the event’s website at firemensfair.com.
