If you are approaching downtown Lafayette from the north, a short detour will bring you to one of the most impressive sights in the city: a rotating loaf of bread suspended in the sky.
The iconic Evangeline Maid billboard at the intersection of West Simcoe and South Bienville streets in Lafayette is one of those quirky artifacts that has become emblematic of a community. The Evangeline Maid factory has been a cornerstone Lafayette business since 1926, and the Downtown Alive! concert series was launched in 1983, just a few blocks from that bright, freshly baked billboard.
Downtown Alive!, produced by Downtown Lafayette, has launched its spring 2026 lineup, along with new merch that highlights the recognizable Evangeline Maid aesthetic — the colors, the billboard and the maid herself. Evangeline Maid is a longtime supporter of Downtown Alive!, according to JoElle Judice, communications and engagement manager for Downtown Lafayette.
“These are both organizations that embody deeply rooted culture in our area,” said Judice. “We really wanted a visual representation of the relationship that we have with them, but it’s also really cool because people have such fond memories and ties to both things. Both Downtown Alive! and Evangeline share in the values of community pride and showing up year after year, and it speaks to an experience that you can only get here.”
Lafayette graphic designer Burton Durand, who helped design a Lafayette-themed mural in Lafayette’s sister city of Namur, Belgium, last year, created the art for the new poster and products, like a hat with a Cajun fiddler sitting on top of the billboard.
Durand said, “To everyone here, it’s iconic. Growing up, you saw the Evangeline Maid, and you see her today, and it’s something that ties me back to my childhood…