It will be a celebratory day Tuesday as Cajuns from all over the area gather at Bouligny Plaza in New Iberia to celebrate the 257th anniversary of the Acadians’ arrival in Louisiana.

The Grand Réveil Acadien 2022 — Great Acadian Awakening will feature a long list of activities to celebrate the anniversary while at the same time providing informational content about the history of the occasion.

The event marks a historic moment for many in south Louisiana and celebrates the moment the expelled Acadians in Canada finally found a home in southwest Louisiana following years of sojourning.

The Great Acadian Awakening will highlight the historic and cultural significance of the Acadians to the Teche Area by highlighting the history as well as showing how French continues to be used in southwest Louisiana.

The event will include breakfast at Victor’s Cafeteria starting at 7:30 a.m., followed by a French Table that is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Mayor Freddie DeCourt will give a welcome to event-goers starting at 10 a.m., and French immersion students from North Lewis Elementary School will recite the pledge of allegiance in French.

Jacques Baran, the cultural attaché of the Consulate General of France will also be welcomed to New Iberia for the event.

North Lewis French immersion students will continue to show off their French skills by sharing a book, singing and dancing from 10:15 to 11 a.m.

At 11 a.m., an update on the New Acadia Project, an archaeological project that is attempting to locate the first Acadian settlement, will be given by Warren Perrin.

Following that, Brinkley Lopez and Time Viator with La Asociación Española de Nueva Iberia will be highlighting New Iberia’s Spanish culture with “Un Goût d’Espagne Sur le Teche” (A Taste of Spain on the Teche) at 11:15 a.m.

Tina Olivier with the Grand Marais Mardi Gras Association will be providing information on Grand Marais’ unique Mardi Gras events at 1 a.m., and Cathy Indest with the Iberia Cultural Resources Association will finish off the event with a presentation from 1:30 to 2 p.m.

Grand Reveil events are slated all over Acadiana Tuesday, including St. Martinville and Lafayette.