ROUGAROU QUEEN

The Rougarou Fest is proud to announce Mrs. Courtney Bennett will reign as the 2024 Rougarou Queen.

A native of Morgan City, and a resident of Houma since 1984, Courtney has been active and involved in gymnastics, cheering, dancing, and numerous music and art events in our community. She is the mother of two awesome children, Gavin, age 13, and Laurel, age 6. She has been married for 18 years to the love of her life, Garrett Bennett.

Courtney graduated from Nicholls State University with a degree in early childhood education. With that education and her creative passion, she spent many years working with children at the preschool at her church, with events at SOLA – a local children’s theatre, and as a dancer and instructor at Paddy Danos School of Dance. Because of her realization of her love of makeup and theater, she followed her creative dream and enrolled in cosmetology! Today she’s a hairstylist at Ambiance Salon in Houma.

Continuing her dreams of designing hair and make-up and ALWAYS a fan of dress up and costuming, she became involved in Rougarou Fest with Jonathan Foret. She has been a Rougarou witch for many years dancing the streets with her sister, Megan, and her fellow hairstylist and friend, Danae.  She admits that the hours they spent doing witch make-up and costumes are just as fun as the parade.  The first time she saw the Rougarou parade, she knew she had to be a part of it. It’s with her fellow witchy sisters, that she haunts the streets of Houma with their German witch dance.

She is very excited and appreciative to be able to take on this creative project and represent the festival as the 2024 Rougarou Queen. She looks forward to working with her longtime friend, Jonathan Foret, and his committee and volunteers. She encourages everyone to come out and enjoy everything the festival represents and has to offer!

Her costume is inspired by the story of the fifolet.  In Louisiana folklore, the “fifolet” is a supernatural creature closely related to the “will-o’-the-wisp” found in other cultures. The fifolet is believed to be a type of mischievous spirit or fairy that appears as a glowing light, often seen floating over marshes, swamps, or other eerie, dark places.

Much like the will-o’-the-wisp, the fifolet is said to lead people astray, drawing them into dangerous or confusing situations. It’s often described as a trickster that lures travelers off their paths, playing with their sense of direction and perception. In some tales, encountering a fifolet might mean you’re about to face some misfortune or get lost.  The lore around fifolets reflects the rich tapestry of Cajun and Creole folklore, blending elements of European, African, and Native American traditions to create unique and localized myths.

The queen would like to thank her hair stylist and makeup artist, Dustin McElroy, and all the stylists at Ambiance Salon for helping make this possible. She would also like to thank Kathy Marmillion for creating her “Rougarou Queen” sash and the staff at Chez Lili Bridal for all of their hard work and support. She appreciates Dristy Foret Photography for beautifully capturing all of the hard work and talent that went into creating the fifolet-inspired queen. Most importantly, she would like to thank her husband and kids, along with all of her family and friends, for their love and support during the preparation to be the Rougarou Queen. And lastly, she thanks Jonathan Foret and the Rougarou Fest for the opportunity!

The Rougarou Fest is a family-friendly festival with a spooky flair that celebrates the rich folklore that exists along the bayous of Southeast Louisiana. It showcases live music, cultural activities, children’s activities, Cajun food, the Krewe Ga Rou parade, and so much more. All proceeds go to the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, a nonprofit organization that is revolutionizing how we think, teach and learn about Louisiana’s disappearing coast.

Each year a Rougarou Queen is selected to represent the festival at various events throughout the region.  The queen is  selected from our large team of volunteers by a committee of festival organizers.  This ensures that our queen is aware of the details of our festival since she has been a part of bringing our event to life in previous years.

The Rougarou Queen will reign over the parade at 7PM Saturday, October 19, 2024.