Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society of St. Bernard has organized its 48th annual fiesta celebrating the cultural heritage of the Canary Islanders or Islenos who founded St. Bernard Parish in 1779 – 1780. The festival will take place on the weekend of March 15th – 16th, 2025 at Los Isleños Museum Complex, 1345 – 1357 Bayou Road, St. Bernard, Louisiana 70085. The hours on Saturday, March 15th are 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 16th are 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The lineup of traditional folk music and dance from the Canaries, Latin and popular music for Fiesta 2025 will not fail to please the public. The performance schedule for March 15th – 16th, 2025 is as follows:
SATURDAY, MARCH 15th, 2025 – 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
- 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies
- 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Filipino Heritage Dance and Music
- 12:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Julio and Cesar Band
- 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Achimencey del Sur, Santa Lucia de Tirajana, Gran Canaria
- 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Junior & Sumtin Sneaky
- 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. – Cypress Pop Trio
SUNDAY, MARCH 16th, 2025 – 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
- 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies
- 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Isleño Heritage Program
- 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Achimencey del Sur, Santa Lucia de Tirajana
- 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Javier Olondo and Asheson
- 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Rockin’ Doopsie & the Zydeco Twisters
- 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Harvey Jesus & Fire
The entrance fee will be $5.00 per person, children 12 years of age and younger will be admitted free.
The cultural centerpiece of Los Isleños Fiesta 2025 will be performances by the Agrupacion Cultural Achimencey del Sur from Santa Lucia de Tirajana in Gran Canaria Island. The municipal jurisdictions of Ingenio, Aguimes and Santa Lucia de Tirajana adjoin each other on the eastern shore of Gran Canaria Island. Many colonists from that region of Gran Canaria were settled in Louisiana between 1778 and 1783. Aguimes and Ingenio formed one municipality in the 18th century known as Aguimes but were divided in 1818. The Estopinal, Serpas, Juan Perez and Aleman families are among the settlers originating in that section of Gran Canaria. The members of Achimencey del Sur are skilled performers and cultural emissaries of the Canaries. The name Achimencey is from the language of the Guanches, a group of the indigenous people living in the Canaries when the European conquest began in 1399. The name is defined as meaning the nobility or descendants of the Mencey who governed an Achimenceyato or geographic region of Gran Canaria. The Filipinos will also share their cultural heritage by performing traditional dances from the Philippine Archipelago.
LIVING HISTORY VILLAGE – Estopinal House and Kitchen, Esteves House, Caserta – Cresap House, the Native American village and medicine garden, the Calvin and Cinda Melerine Trapper’s Cabin and surrounding area, opened for public viewing March 15th – 16th, 2025 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Living history displays will focus on traditional folklife/folkcraft in the Isleño descendants’ community of St. Bernard Parish, located in the Living History Village just beyond the Coconut Island Barroom and Isleño Center. Folklife demonstrations will include alligator farming, Teneriffe Lace making (Estopinal Kitchen), quilting (Esteves House), duck decoy carving, duck callers, model boat building, oyster knife fabrication, historic black smithing (wrought iron), and Native American culture represented in palmetto structures and a medicine garden presented by local descendants of the Houma Nation and other tribes. Los Isleños Society will feature a display and information about the Isleño colonists of St. Bernard in the Estopinal House. The Caserta – Cresap House will be the site of genealogical displays relative to original settlements of Canary Islanders upriver from New Orleans at Galvez-town and Valenzuela. Other heritage groups including the Granaderos y Damas de Galvez and Sociedad Española will be present in the Caserta – Cresap House. The trapping industry will be discussed in the Trapper’s Cabin. The Audubon Institute will join the festival in the Living History area with an exhibition about the wildlife of the region. The hours for public visitation both days, March 15th – 16th, will be 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
LA COCINA ISLEÑA Y CRIOLLA (Isleño and Louisiana cuisine) – Food court pavilions, surrounding grounds
The menu will feature Isleño food, fabulous grilled St. Bernard oysters, Louisiana fried seafood, hot dogs, hamburgers and homemade chili. Traditional Isleño food will include ropa vieja (pork shoulder roast cooked with garlic, onions and seasonings), arroz con pollo (chicken with rice), shrimp and grits (traditionally served on local trawl boats), empanadas (meat pies), croquettas, caldo (known as potage in the Canaries, a soup or meal-in-a-pot with pickled pork as the base meat and vegetables), and desserts such as flan, the famous vanilla flavored egg custard topped with caramel sauce. The St. Bernard Parish Tourist Commission will fund and operate the tapas bar in the Coconut Island Barroom. Spanish wines, cheese, chorizo (sausage) and the tortilla a la Gallega (Spanish potato, onion, bell pepper and chorizo omelet in the style of Galicia). Tapas are traditional small plates served in bars throughout the Spanish mainland and the Canaries. Homemade desserts made by the dessert committee will include tarta de tres leches (three milk cake), cup cakes and some sugar free desserts.
MODERN CRAFTS
The modern craft booth section, largely located between Los Isleños and Ducros museums, promises to offer an excellent selection of items for sale including furniture, art, pickled vegetables, jellies and other items. The Silent Auction will have great gifts and items to bid on such as artwork, gift certificates and other items. The Isleño Society gift shop will be fully stocked and presented on the fiesta grounds, offering for sale books
about Isleño heritage, Isleño cookbooks, tee-shirts and other
inventory.
AMUSEMENT RIDES and Los Isleños Museum
Mitchell Amusements will provide amusement rides for children in the parking lot of Los Isleños Museum Complex. Los Isleños Museum will be opened to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days of the fiesta.
MAJOR SPONSORS
Major sponsors of Fiesta 2025 are the Arlene and Joseph Meraux Charitable Foundation, Valero Oil, St. Bernard Parish Government, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Department, St. Bernard Parish School Board and the St. Bernard Parish Tourist Commission. For additional information, please visit www.losislenos.org, Los Isleños Fiesta Facebook page and www.visitstbernard.com.
