The Bon Temps Social Club of San Diego is a local group that presents live music and dance events throughout the year. Membership is open to the public and affordable. Events are open to all ages.
The club was established with its first dance on Valentine's Day in 1991 by Peter Oliver and Maryann Blinkhorn to spread their love of Louisiana Cajun dancing to the San Diego community. Since that time the music has changed to include Creole zydeco in its various forms, and San Diego has embraced the Louisiana music and culture wholeheartedly. The Bon Temps Social Club of San Diego was incorporated as a California Public Benefit Corporation in April 2001. It is recognized by the IRS as a 501c(3) not for profit organization. It is a member organization of the International Dance Association (IDA) of San Diego County.
Monthly dances of the Bon Temps Social Club feature Louisiana-style live music with a dance lesson for beginners before the dance. They are usually held on the second Saturday evening of the month at the War Memorial Building in San Diego's beautiful Balboa Park. The free-with-admission dance lesson begins at 6:20 PM, and the open dancing to live music is 7:00 PM until 10:30 PM.
The philosophy of the club is "If you're smiling you're doing it right" - which is another way of saying everyone at any age or skill level is welcome at our dances. We certainly hope you will choose to join us at one of our dances, and discover for yourself how much fun dancing to Louisiana-style music can be. The cost of attending our monthly dances is $10. If you become a club member for $30 per club year, you will have free admission to one Second Saturday dance each year. (By the way, if you've never been to one of our dances before, your admission to your first dance is just $5.)
In 2001 members of the BTSC produced the first "Gator By The Bay Cajun-Zydeco Music & Food Festival," as the event was billed. Gator By the Bay has since been an annual festival which has grown in popularity each year and evolved to include blues, country and many ethnic musical genres. It attracts more than 20,000 people, many from the far reaches of the United States, each year on Mother's Day weekend.
The spirit, sounds and flavors of southwest Louisiana come alive at the largest and most-authentic Louisiana-themed music and food festival this side of the bayou. With everything from A to Zydeco,...
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