The annual Louisiana Food & Wine Festival — a showcase of culinary, beverage and music that highlights the state’s unique culture and heritage — will kick off Thursday night with a Celebrity Chefs Wine Dinner at L’Auberge Casino Resort.

The six-course dinner will feature chefs Jernard Wells, Paul Fehribach, Huy Pham, Kevin McCarthy and Leonair Dorsey. Each course will be paired with wine chosen by David Reuss, an advanced sommelier with Jackson Family Wines. A 6 p.m. reception will showcase culinary creations from the students and instructors of Sowela Technical Community College, along with Ryan Anderson —known as “Oyster Daddy” at Little Moon Oyster Ranch of Grand Isle. The dinner starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $225.

Louisiana-inspired master classes lead Friday’s lineup. Classes will be held 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at Sowela Technical Community College. The series of interactive and intimate sessions will feature guest celebrity chefs, cookbook authors, beverage experts, tastemakers, artisans and more. The schedule includes: “The Perfect Wine & Oyster Pairings” with Mollie Battenhouse and Anderson from 10:30 t0 11:30 a.m.; “Southern Inspired Smokey Seafood Mac & Cheese featuring Wells from noon to 1 p.m.; The Freshest of Fresh Sushi: Breaking Down a Yellowfin Tuna and Savoring Varieties of Different Cuts & Flavors” with Pham from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.; and “Créole Soirée – Put a Party in Your Mouth!” with Sheri Raleigh-Yearby from 3 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $79 per class.

The classes will be followed by “Fire on the Lake” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bord Du Lac Park. The celebration will feature live fire cooking, overlooking the shores of Lake Charles. The event features a variety of slow-cooked, grilled, and smoked meats, Louisiana Seafood and vegetarian creations from some of the south’s most celebrated Pitmasters, chefs and grill masters. Enjoy unlimited tasting bites, wine, beer, and spirits tastings with a souvenir glass. Lively zydeco music from Horace Trahan and the Ossun Express will keep everybody up on their feet, doing the Cajun two-step and the zydeco cha-cha. Fire on the Lake tickets are $109 each.

A grand tasting will follow 4-7 p.m. Saturday at Bord du Lac Park and will feature culinary and beverage tastings, with live music by The Flamethrowers. Tickets are $129 for all-inclusive for food and beverage tastings, including a souvenir glass for unlimited beverage tastings from hundreds of wines, beer and spirits exhibitors.

The festival culminates Sunday with a Jazz Brunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Sowela Technical Community College. The all-inclusive $119 ticket is good for unlimited beverage tastings with a souvenir glass, live music, a lavish brunch with carving stations, salad bars, Louisiana Seafood stations, made-to-order omelet stations, variety of desserts and more.

The United Way of Southwest Louisiana is the festival’s Official Charity Partner, with a portion of the festival’s ticket proceeds donated to United Way of Southwest Louisiana.