Kristy Christiansen 2017-01-16 16:08:42
Louisiana loves a good party—so much, in fact, that you’ll find more than 400 festivals throughout the state. Here are just a few of our favorites. Mandeville Seafood Festival ©Bill Lang Festival of Lights ©Natchitoches CVB Rayne Frog Festival ©Lisa Soileaux Scott Boudin Festival ©Lafayette CVB Festival season runs yearround in Louisiana, and we use any excuse to soak up some sun, kick up our heels and party while dining on that legendary fest food cuisine. From pirates to frogs, and boats to crawfish, we celebrate each and every thing we cherish about our state and savor sharing it with our many visitors. Take the Central Louisiana Outdoor Adventure Festival (March), a month-long, jampacked calendar of events held at locations throughout Rapides Parish. More than 30 adventures centered around hiking, biking, running and more highlight the many reasons Alexandria was named one of “America’s Top 100 Adventure Towns” by National Geographic. Other marquee central Louisiana festivals include the Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival (September) and the Natchitoches Christmas Festival of Lights, now in its 92nd year. The Louisiana Fur & Wildlife Festival (January) in Cameron tests the skills of outdoor enthusiasts in an array of competitions, including trap shooting, retriever dog trials, nutria skinning and oyster shucking. The festival is dubbed “one of the oldest and coldest festivals in Louisiana.” Speaking of delights for outdoor enthusiasts, be sure to catch the Louisiana Sportsman Show taking place in Gonzales in March—Louisiana’s largest hunting and fishing show. Shop for fishing tackle and hunting gear, check out the winners of the Louisiana Sportsman Big Buck Contest and let the kids run free in the Kids Zone. With water running like veins throughout the state, we can’t help but celebrate alongside and on top of our bayous and rivers. Slidell’s Festival Bonfouca features three days of arts and music in the town’s Heritage Park, along the banks of historic Bayou Bonfouca. Contraband Days parade ©Lake Charles CVB Louisiana Seafood Festival ©Ipung Zan photography Dragon Boat Racing – courtesy GWN International Dragon Boat Bayou St. John in New Orleans sets the stage for the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo (May), where mariners arrive in canoes, rafts, paddleboards and homemade boats to enjoy local music, food, arts and crafts and even a floating bar. Rock out for a good cause at the Voice of the Wetlands festival (October), held in Houma. Some of Louisiana’s biggest blues, jazz and zydeco acts take the stage in this free event that was born in 2004 to create awareness of wetlands preservation in south Louisiana. Canoes, kayaks and pirogues (Cajun canoes) race along the waters of scenic Bayou Teche each fall, paddling to win the annual Tour du Teche (October). Meanwhile, in Madisonville, crowds gather along the Tchefuncte River to watch decorative dragon boats compete in the Greater New Orleans International Dragon Boat Festival (May). Lake Charles’ oldest festival, Contraband Days (May), celebrates the legends of rambunctious citizens— pirates! Buccaneers from around the globe converge on southwest Louisiana, in search of food, music and good old-fashioned mayhem. So dust o that eye patch and come out to meet Jean Lafitte and his band of merry pirates. Look to the skies at Kite Fest Louisiane (April), where professional kite flyers dazzle crowds with their colorful kites dancing intricate ballets. Held in Port Allen, this one-of-a-kind festival in Louisiana encourages the whole family to get involved through kite making and kite design events. West of Lafayette in the “Frog Capital of the World,” the town of Rayne dedicates its annual festival to its favorite amphibian. The Rayne Frog Festival (May) delights visitors with frog racing and jumping events, as well as live music, arts and crafts and the Grand Parade. Don’t miss the "Best Dressed Frog” competition. In West Monroe, everyone’s beloved crustacean takes center stage alongside our most infamous reptile in the Crawfish Gatorfest. For four days in early May, watch some gator wrestling, gawk at the antique cars on display or visit with camels and kangaroos while listening to live entertainment. Partying on Bayou St. John ©Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo Voice of the Wetlands All Stars ©Takahiro Kyono Mudbug Madness Festival ©Shreveport-Bossier CTB For more crawfish fun, drive on over to Shreveport’s Mudbug Madness Festival. With Cajun, zydeco, blues and jazz bands and more crawfish than you can possibly eat, it’s no wonder why this four-day festival held over Memorial Day weekend is nationally recognized. Expand your palate to include all forms of seafood at the Louisiana Seafood Festival in New Orleans (September). Tour the beautiful grounds of New Orleans City Park while taste-testing alligator, fish, crab, shrimp, crawfish and oysters and other local delicacies. Complete with celebrity chefs, a beer garden and an arts village, the festival emphasizes the seafood that flourishes in Louisiana and the countless baked, fried, boiled and grilled ways to enjoy it. Boudin—Louisiana’s signature sausage made from cooked rice, pork, onions, green peppers and seasonings—reigns supreme at the Scott Boudin Festival (April). Touted as “Where the West Begins and Hospitality Never Ends,” the town of Scott rolls out the red carpet in this family-friendly event celebrating one of Cajun culture’s tastiest contributions. In downtown Crowley, the International Rice Festival (October) holds the title of Louisiana's largest and oldest agricultural festival. With parades and events such as rice cooking and eating contests, and fiddle and accordion contests, this party reveres one of the state’s top cash crops. Louisiana has festivals to suit every taste, every month of the year. Visit LouisianaTravel.com/festivals for a list of events throughout the state.
©Louisiana. View All Articles.
Festivals
https://digital.milespartnership.com/article/Festivals/2687878/375084/article.html