Crawfish Kickoff Festival Serves More Than 10,000 Pounds

By Cashmir Khawaja

Reporting Texas TV

AUSTIN, Texas — Thousands of hungry crawfish enthusiasts gathered in the center of Republic Square for the second annual Crawfish Kickoff Festival.

This year’s event delivered a flavorful celebration of Cajun culture, community and crustaceans.

The unmistakable aroma of Cajun spices greeted attendees as they entered. Banners and lively music instantly transported guests to the bayous of Louisiana.

“This is my first time having crawfish this year, which I am super excited about. The food has been really good, and yeah, it’s been great,” Mariah Gund said.

The festival included several events, such as live music, a full bar, and opportunities for dancing. Central to the festivities were the stars of the show — the crawfish. Served fresh and piping hot, Muddy Water Crawfish prepared the mudbugs in large bins just outside of the festival.

Customers wait in line for freshly cooked crustaceans at the Crawfish Kickoff Festival at Republic Square in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, April 14, 2024. (Cashmir Khawaja/Reporting Texas TV)

Muddy Water Crawfish was responsible for serving more than 10,000 pounds pounds of crawfish during the event. Owner Tré Richard allowed guests to buy all-you-can-eat so they could come back for more.

“We work hand in hand with the event promoters [and] hand in hand with the supplier of the crawfish to dial in where we want to be,[and] what numbers we need to hit to try to get everybody crawfish.” Richard said.

He said he wanted to make a lasting impression on guests by bringing in the southern Louisiana flavor.

Guests including Donovan Scandariato were excited about the true Louisiana flavor and expressed their excitement by going back for more.

“I think it’s got to be like some sort of primal nature, just tearing into it with your hands, it’s like any kind of seafood that you have to tear open. It’s kind of just fun. It takes a second to get into it but you get to reap the rewards after,” Scandariato said.

Richard said he was happy with the turnout of about 3,000 people which was much larger than the hundreds who attended last year.

“The event is extremely incredible. It feels like it is much larger than last year. The lines are a lot longer, [and] there’s a lot more food vendors, but overall I think it’s a great event, absolutely. I’m extremely happy with it,” he said.

Organizers said turnout was much larger than last year’s attendance. (Cashmir Khawaja/Reporting Texas TV)