The ninth annual Gator by the Bay will bring the culture, music and energy of southwest Louisiana to San Diego. If you’re ready to have a good time, the Gator by the Bay Music & Food Festival is for you, capturing all five senses with Zydeco, Cajun and Blues music, Louisiana food and music workshops addressing Creole and Cajun history. Opening tomorrow, Friday, May 7 with the first ever half day Gator By Night “supper club,” patrons will be entertained by honky tonk and old time swing groups, the Bourbon Street Food Court, dancing and the film premiere of “Texas Zydeco.” The festivities continue through the weekend with dance lessons, children’s activities, six stages with more than 75 performers, cooking demonstrations and a Saturday night dance at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina. People from all over the country attend the Gator by the Bay for its non-stop crawfish boil. A tradition brought back from Louisiana, Gator by the Bay brings in 8,000 pounds of crawfish straight from the source: Opelousas, La. Sitting pretty at Spanish Landing Park, the live crawfish are dumped into spicy seasonings with corn cob and red potatoes — a meal in which everyone pinches a tail and enjoys the mess. Formed by Bon Temps Social Club of San Diego, a group that has a passion for dance and music, Gator by the Bay was originally inspired by the fais do do, a traditional Cajun Sunday social afternoon with family, food, music and dance. The group eventually began a twice-monthly dance party, but by 2001, after attending a slew of Cajun/Zydeco festivals, these San Diegans decided to start their own. Now the Gator by the Bay Festival includes non-stop dance lessons taught by some of the best in the nation. “We have a no-fault dance policy — if you’re smiling, you’re doing it right,” said Maryann Blinkhorn, one of three festival founders. With a commitment to share Louisiana’s fun-loving nature with San Diego’s students, county schools are annually invited to attend a preview special where they are given a geography and history lesson, red beans and rice and gumbo, dancing lessons and a chance to play rub board with a live Zydeco band. In the same vein, the “Foundation Stage” will welcome young San Diego performers during the event, a first for Gator by the Bay. “The joy of this festival is that everyone gets involved,” Blinkhorn said. “It’s about embracing a different culture.”