DELCAMBRE — The 69th annual Delcambre Shrimp Festival came to a close Sunday with a Mass and blessing of the fleet for the new shrimping season.

The annual mass took place at the Shrimp Festival Building, with congregants led by the Shrimp Festival Queens walking to the boat launch shortly after.

The Rev. Wence Isidienu boarded the nearest boat ready to launch and offered a short prayer for a safe and prosperous shrimping season, which began about three weeks ago.

After the prayer, the boats took off and made their way through Bayou Carlin to signal the end of the festival.

The five-day festival included a street fair, live music and food for the hundreds of event-goers that attended the popular festival.

Despite a hot and humid week, the event attracted a large crowd full of enthusiasm about the festival’s mission of promoting Delcambre and the shrimping industry.

The event featured musicians like Craig Morgan and Chris Ardoin who played throughout the week, as well as several local musical groups who took to the stage on Shrimp Festival grounds.