Serving as the main annual fundraiser for the Port Barre Lions Club, the Port Barre Cracklin Festival was first held in 1985. This original gathering was a quaint one day celebration held at the boat launch near the intersection of 3rd Street, Bayou Road and Boggs Street. Offering a small selection of rides and games, a couple vendor booths and the essential Cracklin Cookoff, this introductory festival boasted a couple hundred attendees. Since that fateful start over 30 years ago the Port Barre Cracklin Festival has evolved into a major cultural and social event for both the city of Port Barre and St. Landry Parish as a whole, attended by thousands of locals and tourists each year.