The Voice That Captivated American Idol Is Taking Over Louisiana—John Foster Set to Headline the 2025 Acadian Festival. ML

PLAQUEMINE — Louisiana native and American Idol runner up John Foster is getting ready to take to the stage, right here at home. Foster is set to headline the 57th Annual Acadian Festival on Friday night, something he says will be especially meaningful.

“Not only will it be my first show on my own territory (west side of the MS River) since my homecoming concert for Idol, it’ll be super special to play my first single live,” Foster told UWK.

Foster just put out new music, his first in a year and his first since appearing on Idol. “I haven’t had a new song since October of last year, so I’m so glad I’m getting some new music out,” he said. “It’s so refreshing to have something new my listeners can listen to and something I can play — an original song.”

“It’s my first song post Idol. This is the very first single. I’ve released songs before but there’s the mindset of first one since my life changed from Idol.”

Since American Idol, Foster says his life, and his audience, have expanded dramatically. “I’m grateful that it’s given me the platform to share with way more people than I thought,” he said. “Between last October and now, my fan base has grown by hundreds of thousands, so I’m hoping this song has a great reception.”

Foster’s new song isn’t like anything he’s released in the past. “I’ve never released an upbeat song. It’s super great, very honky tonk, and it’s modern enough to be worthy of radio play but traditional enough to keep the cadence of what I love and my audience loves,” he said. “I’m still a firm believer of country radio, so I hope a lot of people will be requesting it.”

“It’s definitely another step towards my life-long career and some big steps. I’m just super excited about this. Hopefully this is a reminder of I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

Foster is set to hit the stage on Friday, Oct. 24, at 9 p.m. Gates open at 4 p.m. and the Lauren Lee Band will perform at 7 p.m. Special tickets are required for Friday’s concert. Online tickets are no longer available, so you must purchase them at the gate for $26. Credit cards will be accepted at the gate.

According to International Acadian Festival’s Facebook page, children one-year-old and up will need a ticket, you must go through a security checkpoint to gain entry, and chairs will only be allowed in the designated area on the hill to the side of the stage.

A concert ticket will allow you access to the fair, and guests 10 and up, who are not going to the concert, will only need a $5 ticket to enter the festival.

The Acadian Festival runs all weekend long at Bayou Plaquemine Waterfront Park. Some of the highlights include:

• Cornhole tournament – Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
• Beauty pageant – Saturday, 1 p.m.
• Parade – Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
• All-you-can-ride bracelets: Friday (6–10 p.m.), Saturday (11 a.m.–11 p.m.), Sunday (12–8 p.m.)

Festival entrance will cost $5 every day.