LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – While Mardi Gras has a lot of beads and costumes, crawfish are a big part of the celebration.

“Everybody in the south wants crawfish during Mardi Gras,” said local crawfish farmer Kevin Touchet, “Right now, they’re just everywhere. Every little grocery store, even the gas stations are selling them, Wal-Mart’s selling live crawfish!”

In fact, it’s a Mardi Gras tradition that is going past the Louisiana state line.

“We got trucks that go to Arkansas, Alabama and it’s starting to move further and further north,” said Touchet, “It’s just something about them; and that’s what they’re doing, Mardi Gras and Crawfish.”

For those out of state residents who do come to the bayou state to celebrate Mardi Gras, a lot of times eating crawfish is on the top of their list for things to do.

“The crawfish season and the mardi gras celebration it always falls at the same time of the year,” said Chez Francois Seafood’s owner Andre Leger, “So, when they come for Mardi Gras, of course they want to eat crawfish.”

Even though crawfish are in high demand, leger explains there are more than enough to feed everyone this Mardi Gras season.

“The flood that we got in August gave them water early, and those crawfish came out and started reproducing,” he said, “So the season is real early, we’re going to have a long season, there’s plenty of crawfish.”