Gator By The Bay is an annual 4 day Louisiana themed Music & Food Festival that brings the spirit, sounds and flavors of the Louisiana Bayou to San Diego's Spanish Landing Park on San Diego Bay, May 11-14, 2017. It is a zesty gumbo of music, food and fun with entertaining performances by the best Cajun, Zydeco, Blues and Latin musicians and site entertainers.

The event has several components:

1) A free educational day for school children includes music presentations, hands-on workshops, dance lessons, cooking demos, food sampling and a history of the Cajun experience.

2) A seated concert presented on Thursday evening provides for a more structured experience.

3) The festival blossoms over the weekend Friday, Saturday & Sunday with full schedules of music, dance, food and fun featuring 90+ performances on 7 stages with dance floors. Music workshops, Mardi Gras style parades, cultural and cooking presentations, dance lessons, supervised kids' activities are presented each day. Vendors offer up unique crafts and clothing. The food court offers traditional southern foods including 10,000 pounds of fresh crawfish brought in from Louisiana. The experience is rich, diverse and authentic.

4) A dance is held Saturday night at the Sheraton hotel for local and visiting attendees.

The event is designed for all ages. Family participation is encouraged. Admission tickets range in price from $25-$95. Children under 18 are admitted free of charge. Estimated attendance: 18,000.