A 10,000 pound crawfish feast awaits at Rosewood Crawfish Festival

Pinch the tail, twist and squeeze.

And if you’re game, suck the head.

Eating a crawfish isn’t very complicated, but be prepared to get your hands dirty.

On Saturday, May 7, around 12,000 people are expected to be pinching, twisting, squeezing and slurping at the 11th Rosewood Crawfish Festival.

Hosted by the Greater Rosewood Merchants Association, the Crawfish Festival is an annual day of Cajun food, live music and laid-back fun along Rosewood Drive.

There will be 10,000 pounds of fresh crawfish all the way from Cody’s Crawfish Shop in Sulphur, Louisiana. The state produces the majority of the nation’s crawfish.

Similar in appearance to a small lobster, crawfish taste like a muddier version of shrimp (in a good way). Some people just eat the tail, but others swear by sucking the yellowish juice from the head.

Never had a crawfish? No problem.

“There are hardcore crawfish eaters, but also a small contingent of people who haven’t ever tried them” at the festival, organizer Dave Britt said.

If you decide the palm-sized crustaceans aren’t your cup of tea, there will be 25 food vendors offering other vittles. There also will be more than 40 arts and craft vendors, a Crawdaddy Dash 5K run and four stages of live music.

Adding to the Louisiana flavor are music headliners Cowboy Mouth and Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who both hail from New Orleans.

BY THE NUMBERS

10,000

Pounds of crawfish that will be boiled for the festival this year

12,000

People expected to attend the festival this year

2,500

People who attended the first Rosewood Crawfish Festival in 2006

2,000

Pounds of crawfish boiled at the first Rosewood Crawfish Festival

868

Miles the crawfish travel from Sulphur, Louisiana, to Columbia

42

Arts vendors who will be selling their wares

25

Types of food available at the festival (It’s not all just crawfish.)

18

Bands playing throughout the day

11

Years the Rosewood Merchants Association has organized a crawfish festival

8

Nicknames for crawfish, or crayfish, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mud puppies, yabbies (Australian), mudbugs or swamp lobsters.

7

Minutes it takes to boil three sacks – which weigh 125 pounds – of crawfish

5

Kilometers in the Crawdaddy Dash (or 16,368 feet)

3

Steps to eating crawfish: 1. Pinch the tail. 2. Twist the body. 3. Squeeze the meat out

4

Stages of live music

2

Headlining acts: Cowboy Mouth and Dirty Dozen Brass Band

1

Central crawfish debate: To suck the head juice or not to suck the head juice? You decide.

MUSIC LINEUP

Bud Light Stage

Deadwin: 11:45-12: 30 p.m.

Glass Mansions: 1-1:45 p.m.

The Rival Brothers: 2:15-3 pm.

The Distributors: 3:30-4:15 p.m.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band: 4:45-5:45 p.m.

Cowboy Mouth: 6:15-7:30 p.m.

First Citizens Stage

Tyler Boone: Noon-12:40 p.m.

Kenny George Band: 1-1:40 p.m.

Brian Ashley Jones: 2-2:40 p.m.

Jordan Igoe: 3- 3:40 p.m.

Danielle Howle: 4- 4:40 p.m.

The Nick Clyburn Band: 5- 6 p.m.

Crescent Construction Stage

Eight Track Parade: noon-12:40 p.m.

Stillhouse: 1-1:40 p.m.

Cletus Baltimore: 2-2:40 p.m.

Jahson and the Natty Vibez: 3-3:40 p.m.

Jackaroe: 4-4:40 p.m.

Mountain Express Band: 5-6 p.m.

Columbia Arts Academy Stage

Full band performances by students of the academy: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "A 10,000 pound crawfish feast awaits at Rosewood Crawfish Festival."