By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— As attendees of Jubilee Joe’s 9^th annual crawfish boil walk onto the property of Venue 31 in Pelham, they’ll instantly be greeted by the sounds and smells of Louisiana.

With Zydeco and Cajun brass bands playing and crawfish, crab and oysters cooking, owner Sharmeen Siddiqui promises the event will transport its visitors to the streets of New Orleans.

“What we try to do with the event is make sure everyone has a good time and knows what Louisiana culture is about,” she said. “We bring our food out and have people try it.”

The Hoover-based restaurant is hosting the event in Pelham on Saturday, April 23 from 1-10 p.m. Siddiqui said they’ll be bringing in thousands of pounds of fresh Louisiana crawfish to boil on the spot.

Dance instructors are prepared to teach guests to dance in a true New Orleans fashion to live bands, such as The Cody Howell Project Band, Zydeco T and Da Truth Brass Band. The event’s headliner, American alternative rock band-Everclear, takes the stage at 8:30 p.m.

Siddiqui said they’ve also come up with a few additions to make the event even bigger. A kids’ corner area will feature activities, such as a crawfish race, and patrons have a chance to win $500 by entering a crawfish eating contest.

The event always has a charity aspect, Siddiqui added, and this year a portion of the festival proceeds will benefit Hand in Paw, an organization that provides animal assisted therapy.

“We had a great time with the charity and the people involved,” she said. “The event has been steadily growing since we started. It’s just a way for us to showcase our food and have a good time while helping a charity out.”

Last year, Siddiqui said they had about 2,000 people come out for the boil. She hopes to beat that number at this year’s festival.

Gates open at 1 p.m. and the kids’ crawfish race starts at 1:45 p.m. The race costs $1 to enter, and the winner receives a $50 gift card to Toys R Us. The eating contest starts at 6 p.m.

General admission tickets are $22, and VIP tickets, including all-you-can-eat crawfish, are $45. Kids age 12 and under are free.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Jubileejoescrawfishboil.com.