Cricket pizza, deep-fried Oreo cookies, Rocky Mountain oysters…The State Fair of Louisiana offers adventurous diners the chance to eat lots of unusual dishes. For the 2018 fair, organizers are introducing a new way for curious foodies to sample many of the most unique dishes at the fair. The first-ever Louisiana State Fair Food Crawls will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1 and Thursday, Nov. 8. A $20 ticket (which must be purchased in advance via Eventbrite.com) gets you fair admission, parking, a bottle of water and unusual food samples galore. Only 40 tickets will be available for each tour. Purchase tickets here.
RSVP to the Louisiana State Fair Food Crawls on Facebook.
The food crawls will be hosted by Louisiana State Fair Board Vice President Liz Swaine, who’ll share some history of the fair (which turns 112 years old this year) as well as behind-the-scenes stories as she guides tour participants from one vendor to the next. It is a walking tour. According to a press release, Swaine is working with Exhibits & Concessions Manager Robb Brazzel to develop the complete list of foods that will be featured.
“Liz and I are working to put together a list of samples of things you might never have been bold enough to try before,” said Brazzel. “The samples will run the gamut of bugs, bacon, sugar and savory. Everyone will leave with great photos of them at the fair and a few food stories to tell!”
Check out the current list of foods that will be featured on the tour on the Eventbrite ticketing page. Keep in mind that food crawl tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be available at the gate.
In my opinion, the unpredictable assortment of food vendors found at the State Fair of Louisiana may be the festival’s greatest asset. Every year, I’m won over by some new culinary experience, whether it’s a simple thing like fried Wisconsin cheese curds (worth every penny) or something more offbeat, like the wonderfully named “Gator n’ Taters” that I loved a few years back. These new food crawls provide a wallet-friendly way to sink your teeth into the craziness that is midway food.
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Download the third edition of Eat Here: A Food Lover’s Guide to Shreveport-Bossier.
