Dallas County Alabama Central Alabama Crawfish Festival

Each spring, the Selma Lions Club turns the fairgrounds at Fair Park into a Cajun kitchen. The Central Alabama Crawfish Festival brings steaming pots of seasoned crawfish, live music, and a full day of food and family fun to one of Alabama’s most historic river cities.

For a modest ticket price, visitors get a day of Louisiana-style boil, music, and vendors on the banks of the Alabama River. It is a relaxed, community-run festival — the kind of event where the money raised goes back into local service work.

Selma is the county seat of Dallas County, deep in Alabama’s Black Belt, and the festival gives visitors a reason to spend a spring Saturday in a city known the world over for its role in the civil rights movement. Food and history sit a few blocks apart here.

Spring is festival season across Alabama, and the Dale County Alabama Daleville Annual Fall Festival shows how a smaller Wiregrass town builds its own community celebration around pumpkins, games, and vendors at Culpepper Park.

Central Alabama Crawfish Festival: Key Facts

Festival	Central Alabama Crawfish Festival
County	Dallas County, Alabama (seat: Selma)
City	Selma
Venue	Selma Lions Club Fair Park, 3 Fairgrounds Rd.
Timing	April, typically noon to 8 p.m. (the 2022 edition ran April 9)
Admission	Around $5 general admission; young children often admitted free
Highlights	Cajun crawfish boil, live music, vendors, kids’ activities
Organizer	Selma Lions Club
Region	Black Belt, central Alabama
Best for	Crawfish fans, families, and anyone pairing a festival with Selma’s history

What the Crawfish Festival Is

The Central Alabama Crawfish Festival is a one-day spring event organized by the Selma Lions Club, a local chapter of the international service organization. It is held at the club’s Fair Park property in Selma, where the grounds give the festival room for food lines, a music stage, and vendor booths.

The premise is straightforward: boil a great deal of crawfish, season it well, and invite central Alabama to eat it. Admission is inexpensive, and the atmosphere is casual and family-oriented, with activities to keep children busy while the adults work through a plate of crawfish.

What sets it apart from a purely commercial food festival is the service-club foundation. The Lions run it as a community project, which shapes everything from the modest ticket price to the neighborly feel of the grounds. Visitors tend to describe it as an easy, unpretentious day out.

A Lions Club Tradition

The festival is a fundraiser for the Selma Lions Club, which channels proceeds into the service work the Lions are known for — vision assistance, community projects, and support for local needs. Buying a ticket and a plate of crawfish is, in effect, a contribution to that work.

The Lions and Their Work

Lions Clubs International is best known for its focus on vision and hearing, and local chapters like Selma’s run projects in that spirit. A community festival is a familiar way for a chapter to raise funds while giving the town a good day out.

A Spring Fixture in Selma

The crawfish festival has become a recurring part of Selma’s spring calendar. In 2022 it was held on April 9, running from noon to 8 p.m., and the club has continued to stage the event in the years since, adjusting the date with the calendar each spring.

What to Expect at the Festival

Cajun Crawfish

Crawfish is the centerpiece, boiled in heavily seasoned water and served by the pound or the plate. The cooking follows the Louisiana tradition — cayenne, garlic, lemon, and the fixings — and the result is the messy, spicy, communal meal that defines a Southern crawfish boil.

Live Music

A stage program runs through the afternoon and into the evening, with local and regional acts playing everything from country to rock and blues. The music is part of the draw, and it keeps the fairgrounds lively from the noon start until the 8 p.m. close.

Vendors and Kids’ Activities

Alongside the crawfish, vendors sell other food, drinks, and crafts, so there is something for visitors who prefer barbecue or a funnel cake. Children’s activities round out the day, making the festival a genuine family outing rather than a strictly adult food event.

The crowd is a mix of Selma locals and visitors from across the Black Belt and beyond, drawn by the promise of fresh crawfish and a full afternoon of music. Tables fill up as the day goes on, and the fairgrounds take on the relaxed, communal rhythm of a Southern boil.

Planning Your Visit

Getting to Selma

Selma sits on the Alabama River in central Alabama, roughly 50 miles west of Montgomery and about 100 miles south of Birmingham. US 80 and AL 22 lead into the city, and the fairgrounds at Fair Park are on the eastern side of town at 3 Fairgrounds Rd. From Montgomery the drive takes about an hour.

Admission and Costs

General admission has been around $5, with young children typically admitted free. Crawfish, drinks, and vendor items are priced separately, so plan for a modest per-person food budget on top of the ticket. Cash is useful, though many vendors accept cards.

Parking and Getting Around

Fair Park offers on-site parking, and because the festival is contained on the fairgrounds, everything is within a short walk of the gate. Arriving earlier in the afternoon generally means easier parking and shorter crawfish lines.

Weather and What to Bring

April in the Black Belt is warm and often humid, with highs in the 70s or low 80s and a chance of thunderstorms. Dress in light clothing, bring sun protection, and expect a crawfish boil to be a hands-on meal — napkins and wet wipes are your friends.

Where to Stay

Selma has a selection of hotels close to the highway, and Montgomery, about an hour east, offers a much larger range of rooms. For a festival-and-history weekend, staying in Selma keeps the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the historic downtown, and the fairgrounds within easy reach.

A Sample Festival Day

Arrive near the noon opening to beat the longest food lines and claim a table. Start with crawfish and a cold drink, then wander the vendor rows while the first band plays. Spend the early afternoon on the kids’ activities and the music, and stay into the evening as the second and third acts take the stage.

Because the festival runs until 8 p.m., there is time to slow down. Many visitors treat it as a long, easy afternoon rather than a quick stop, and the evening sets tend to be the liveliest part of the day.

Nearby Festivals to Compare

Central Alabama’s spring and fall calendars offer several events worth pairing with a trip to Selma:

Bridge Crossing Jubilee	Selma, March — a commemoration of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches
Alabama Tale-Tellin’ Festival	Selma, spring — storytelling for all ages
Crawdad and Music Festival	Ozark (Dale County), April — crawfish and live music downtown
Daleville Annual Fall Festival	Daleville, October — vendors, games, and pumpkins
National Peanut Festival	Dothan, autumn — one of the state’s largest fairs

Practical Checklist

• Bring cash for admission and food lines; not every vendor takes cards.
• Pack napkins or wet wipes — a crawfish boil is a hands-on meal.
• Arrive near the noon start for easier parking and shorter lines.
• Bring sun protection and a light layer for the cooler evening sets.
• Confirm the date and hours with the Selma Lions Club before you travel.

Beyond the Festival

Selma rewards a longer stay. The Edmund Pettus Bridge, where marchers crossed on Bloody Sunday in 1965, is a short drive from the fairgrounds, and the city’s historic downtown holds landmarks like Sturdivant Hall and the Old Depot Museum. The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail traces the route of the 1965 marches through Dallas County.

Dallas County is Black Belt farm country, with a landscape of prairies, rivers, and timber that shaped its history. The Alabama River still carries the sense of a working waterway, and the county’s smaller communities — Valley Grande, Selmont, Orrville, and others — are part of the same rural fabric.

The Significance of the Crawfish Festival

The Central Alabama Crawfish Festival is a small event with a clear purpose: raise money for the Lions Club’s service work while giving Selma a lively spring afternoon. In a city that carries the weight of national history, that kind of ordinary, joyful community gathering has its own value. It is a reminder that Selma is a living town, not only a landmark.

Festival Area Map

The festival is held at the Selma Lions Club Fair Park, 3 Fairgrounds Road in Selma, Dallas County.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Central Alabama Crawfish Festival?

It is held in April, typically from noon to 8 p.m. The 2022 edition ran on April 9. Confirm the exact date with the Selma Lions Club.

Where is it held?

At the Selma Lions Club Fair Park, 3 Fairgrounds Rd., Selma, Alabama, in Dallas County.

How much is admission?

General admission has been around $5, with young children often admitted free. Crawfish and other food are priced separately.

Who organizes the festival?

The Selma Lions Club organizes the event, using it to raise funds for its community service work.

Is it good for children?

Yes. The festival is family-oriented and includes children’s activities alongside the food and live music.

What is there to eat besides crawfish?

Vendors sell other festival food and drinks, so visitors who prefer barbecue, fried favorites, or sweets will find options.

What is Dallas County known for?

Dallas County is a Black Belt county in central Alabama, known for its county seat of Selma, the Alabama River, and Selma’s central role in the civil rights movement.

What to Expect From the Next Crawfish Festival

The festival is an annual event and is expected to return to the Selma Lions Club Fair Park each spring, organized by the Selma Lions Club.

How often is the festival held?

Every year, in April. The club has staged the festival repeatedly, keeping it on Selma’s spring calendar.

When is the next festival?

The next edition is expected on an April weekend. The Selma Lions Club publishes the confirmed date and music lineup in advance.

Will the date or lineup change?

The April timing and the Fair Park venue have been consistent, but the exact date, bands, and vendors can change year to year, and spring storms can affect an outdoor event. Check with the club before you go.

Last updated: October 2026

The Central Alabama Crawfish Festival is an easy, affordable way to spend a spring Saturday in Selma — a plate of Cajun crawfish, a stage of live music, and a town with more history per block than almost anywhere in Alabama. Come hungry, bring the family, and stay for the evening sets.