Louisiana is arguably the ‘Festival Capital of the World’ with more than 400 festivals in its annual events calendar throughout the state. Spring ushers in the best weather and a lively atmosphere to participate in celebrations of food, music, heritage, and more, showcasing the state’s beautiful blend of rich culture and community spirit.
Food Festivals
Springtime brings an abundance of fresh produce to Louisiana. Taste the bounty at the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival or the Louisiana Peach Festival in Ruston for sweet and juicy fruit as well as dishes that incorporate them, and enjoy all the classic fun that comes with a festival.
Louisiana has quite a few festivals that are centred solely on the state’s signature dishes. The Étouffée Festival in Arnaudville highlights the savoury rice dish that comes smothered in a seafood gravy, or the Gonzales Jambalaya Festival for a bowl of the mouthwatering classic. A traditional Cajun snack, boudin (a spicy pork and rice mixture stuffed into a casing), is the star of the Scott Boudin Festival. Fresh Louisiana seafood awaits at the Amite Oyster Festival.
Music Festivals
Arguably the most popular music festival in Louisiana is the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a seven-day festival that draws some of the best musical acts of all genres, including jazz, rock, R&B and more. The French Quarter Festival is a massive event with 22 stages and 400-plus hours of live entertainment.
Great music can be found elsewhere in Louisiana. The Baton Rouge Blues Festival, one of the oldest blues festivals in the nation, honours Louisiana’s own blues artists and specifically the unique sound of swamp blues. In Natchitoches, you can find the Natchitoches Jazz / R&B Festival rocking country and rock n’ roll to zydeco, blues, and everything in between on the banks of the Cane River.
Cultural Festivals
Lafayette hosts Festival International de Louisiane, a free festival celebrating South Louisiana’s French cultural heritage. Native musicians as well as performing artists from Europe, Africa, Canada, and the Caribbean play on the festival’s six stages. Shop Marche des Arts, a fine arts market with artists from around the country, and Marche du Monde, a world market with sculptures, photography, jewellery and more.
In New Iberia, explore author James Lee Burke’s hometown through the lens of his character Detective Dave Robicheaux at the Books Along The Teche Literary Festival. Explore local Cajun culture through storytelling, poetry, workshops, music, tours by bus or boat and plenty of good food. The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival has been supporting and shining a spotlight on writers, actors, musicians and other artists for decades. The organization is credited with providing professional writing instruction for hundreds of students in New Orleans. Literary fans of all kinds flock to the fest, hosted in the city Tennessee Williams dubbed his spiritual home.
In Krotz Springs, participants at the Sportsmen’s Heritage Festival can see, hear and taste the unique culture created on the banks of the Atchafalaya River. Foodies will love the wild game cook-off, music fans will be entertained by the Cajun, swamp pop and zydeco tunes, and kids of all ages will enjoy traditional festival activities.
Quirky Festivals
Last but not least, you can count on Louisiana to have some wacky festival themes. In Rayne, the Frog Capital of the World, the Rayne Frog Festival honours this title with a frog cook-off, frog-eating contest, folklore tent, frog racing and jumping and more. And in Lake Charles, the Louisiana Pirate Festival unfolds with music, food, games, and contests, all of which occur around a pirate theme that pays homage to Louisiana’s “patron” pirate, Jean Lafitte.
