A Fall of Festivals

Not only does fall come with the anticipation of cooler weather that SWLA appreciates more than most, it’s also prime time for some of the best festivals locally and across the state. Whether you want a weekend getaway or a local day out, there’s a festival for everyone. Food and wine festivals rank high on the list as do holiday markets and celebrations. Grab your friends and family and have some true Louisiana fun.

Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival, Sept. 13-14. The festival celebrates the famous Natchitoches meat pie with a variety of homemade pies, musical entertainment, meat pie eating contest, a river run (hosted by the Independent Motorcycle Riders of Natchitoches), kid activities, and more. www.facebook.com/NatchitochesMeatPieFestival

Highland Jazz and Blues Festival, Shreveport, Sept. 14. Attend this free funky “party in the park” featuring local and national jazz and blues artists. Highland is a historic neighborhood just south of downtown Shreveport. www.highlandjazzandblues.org

Alligator Festival, Luling, Sept. 26-29. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of St. Charles Parish, this festival raises funds for college scholarships. In addition to the usual rides, music, arts and crafts, there’s a golf tournament and an Alligator Stomp (a 5K run/walk along the Mississippi River Trace.) And of course, food, including alligator burgers, alligator sauce piquant, fried alligator, smoked alligator sausage, alligator tamales, seafood alligator gumbo. www.alligatorfestival.org

Louisiana Sugarcane Festival, New Iberia, Sept. 27-28. Celebrate the Louisiana sugar cane industry with parades, carnival, live Cajun and Zydeco music, car show, sugar cookery, and art displays. www.facebook.com/LouisianaSugarCaneFestival

Red River Revel Arts Festival, Shreveport, Sept. 28-Oct. 6. This festival features over 200 visual and performing artists, music of every genre, a children’s area, and food in downtown Shreveport. www.redriverrevel.com

Gretna Heritage Festival, Oct. 4-6. This music-intensive festival covers 20 city blocks and supports businesses and organizations within the city. Big name entertainers include Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kool & The Gang, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Explore the Italian Village, relax at The Club Backstage, drink some German beer, and shop the arts and crafts area. www.gretnafest.com

Louisiana Cotton Festival, Ville Platte, Oct. 9-13. In Evangeline Parish, cotton dots the fields, and the community celebrates their crop with the annual festival. www.louisianacottonfestival.com

Zwolle Tamale Fiesta, Oct. 10-12. The town of Zwolle celebrates its rich Spanish and Indian heritage with a three-day fiesta. The featured festival food – hot tamales, of course! Eat them or enter the tamale making contest. www.zwolletamalefiesta.com

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Lafayette, Oct. 11-13. This festival celebrates all things Cajun – the history, the music, the food, the language . . . enjoy a fais-do-do, the official cutting of the boudin, arts and crafts, and more. This free festival is held in Girard Park and includes live bands, along with two dozen food vendors in the Bayou Food Festival and artists at the Louisiana Craft Fair. www.festivalsacadiens.com.

Crowley Rice Festival, Oct. 17-20. Festival goers can participate in activities such as the classic car show, the Crowley High 5k run/walk and a fiddle and accordion contest. The Rice Festival Queen’s contest, the rice eating contest and a frog derby are always must-see events.  The festival has two parades during the weekend. The Children’s Parade is featured on Friday afternoon and the Grand Parade takes the streets on Saturday afternoon. www.ricefestival.com

Boucherie & Balloon Fest, Sorrento, Oct. 18-20. Sponsored by the Sorrento Lions Club, enjoy hot air balloons, jambalaya and cracklin’ cook-offs, live music, and shopping. www.boucheriefestival.com

Andouille Festival, LaPlace, Oct. 18-20. Pass a good time and celebrate this traditional Louisiana sausage. www.andouillefestival.com

Rougarou Festival, Houma, Oct. 18-20. Only in Louisiana will you find a festival dedicated to this monstrous mythical legend. During the Krewe Ga Rou parade, you’ll see zombies, witches, ghouls, and a Rougarou Time Warp dance. Dress up in your scariest attire, join the parade, and enter the Costume Contest.” www.rougaroufest.org

Ragley Heritage and Timber Festival, Oct. 19.This heritage fest includes presentations on history, pioneers, and the formation of the town and founding families. www.festivalnet.com/36382/Ragley-Louisiana/Festivals/Ragley-Heritage-and-Timber-Festival

Wooden Boat Festival, Madisonville, Oct. 19-20. Hosted by The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum, you’ll see a wide variety of classic wooden boats. A pre-festival gala, “Maritime Mania, is held at the museum on the Friday before the festival. On festival days enjoy a boat-building contest, arts and crafts, live entertainment at the Water Street riverfront stage, and the Children’s Village at Madisonville Ball Park, 1007 Pine St., which will host demonstrations by Northshore robotics. www.woodenboatfest.org

Oak Street Po-boy Festival, New Orleans, Oct. 27. Celebrate Louisiana’s favorite sandwich at this annual Po-boy festival. There will be 40 food and beverage vendors, multiple stages with live music, an art market, and a po-boy competition juried by celebrity judges. www.poboyfest.com

Louisiana Seafood & Caribbean Music Festival, New Orleans, Oct. 26-27. The event will feature live music and offer a variety of seafood and Caribbean dishes for attendees to enjoy.

Yellow Rails and Rice Festival, Thornwell, Oct. 30-Nov. 2. Hundreds of avid birders, nature lovers, and photographers from all over the U.S. and some foreign countries flock to the area each year for a chance to see the elusive yellow rail, while simultaneously learning about the rice industry. www.yellowrailsandrice.com

Port Barre Cracklin Fest, Nov. 7-10. This Lion’s Club fundraiser provides all the usual festival events—pageantry, a parade, carnival rides and games, food, music, as well as a cracklin cook-off. There are professional and amateur categories and prizes for both taste and booth presentation. www.cracklinfest.com

St. Francisville Food & Wine Festival, Nov. 8-10. The annual St. Francisville Food & Wine Festival is a weekend-long celebration of the culinary culture of Louisiana and Mississippi. Featuring acclaimed chefs, creative wine pairings, cocktail and spirit tastings, craft beer and live entertainment in one of Louisiana’s most beautiful and historic small towns. Enjoy a jazz brunch at the St. Francisville Inn, a winemaker dinner at the Magnolia Café, a champagne and BBQ event in historic downtown, a dinner party at the Royal Inn, and a grand tasting at the Myrtles. www.stfrancisvillefoodandwine.com

Thibodeauxville Fall Fest, Nov. 9. The Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce sponsors this annual event. Experience arts and crafts, music, a car show, and fabulous food.  Enjoy a Louisiana inspired cook-off and a duck race where hundreds of yellow rubber ducks float down Bayou Lafourche. www.facebook.com/thibodeauxville

Beignet Fest, New Orleans, Nov. 16. Enjoy a variety of beignets including sweet and savory, classic powdered sugar, and seafood and cheese. There will be musical performances, a beer garden, an art market and a kid’s village. Proceeds benefit nonprofits dedicated to helping children with autism. www.neworleans.com/event/beignet-fest/3203

Natchitoches Christmas Festival, Nov. 23. The city hosts a day-long celebration with food, music, fireworks, and the unveiling of over 300,000 lights that adorn darling downtown Natchitoches. Lights are on display through Jan. 6. www.natchitocheschristmas.com

Louisiana Renaissance Fest, Hammond, Nov.-Dec. This medieval festival takes place every weekend in November and the first two weekends in December. A festival, theme park, theatre, holiday shopping destination, and educational experience all rolled into one great adventure. Offers 600 artisans, entertainers, and educational demonstrations.  www.larf.net

GUMBO FESTIVALS:

Louisiana Gumbo Festival of Chackbay, Oct. 11-13. Nearly 500 gallons of gumbo is made over the course of the festival. There will also be live music, a parade and amusement park rides. http://lagumbofest.com

World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off, New Iberia, Oct. 12-13. Experience the “power of roux” at this 34th annual event hosted by the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce. Gumbo will be separated by categories – Tabasco Terrance, Andouille Alley, File Boulevard, Roux Row, Tasso Trail and Bell Pepper Place www.iberiachamber.org/gumbo-cookoff

LOCAL FESTIVALS:

Gallery Promenade, downtown Lake Charles, Aug. 24, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. The Arts Council of SWLA hosts this annual showcase of galleries and museums throughout downtown.

South Coast Book Festival, Sept. 14, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Lake Charles Event Center, 900 Lakeshore Dr. Formerly the Southwest Louisiana Family Book Festival, the South Coast Book Festival will present an author market space, workshops, kid’s zone, and more.

LA Food and Wine Festival, Sept. 19-22, Lake Charles. The Louisiana Food & Wine Festival is a culinary and beverage celebration, presented by Rouses Markets and hosted by Visit Lake Charles. The festival is a showcase of culinary, beverage, and musical talent that highlights Louisiana’s unique culture and heritage, celebrity guest chefs, local chefs, celebrity winemakers/proprietors, artisans, farmers, musicians, local craft spirits and beers, along with renowned wine, spirits, and beer brands from around the world.

Cal-Cam Fair, Oct. 3-5, Sulphur, 401 Arena Road. Five days of pure festival fun. This is one of the few remaining “Old Time Country Fairs” in the state, where almost anything baked, grown, or crafted can be entered, judged, and awarded prizes. You’ll also find a livestock show, carnival rides, a beauty pageant, musical entertainment, and wildlife exhibits.

Lake Charles Film Festival, Oct. 4-5, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 1150 W. Prien Lake Road. The Lake Charles Film Festival offers a weekend of food, music, independent film screenings, an award ceremony for top films and scripts in various categories, seminars, premieres, parties, and networking.

Rouge et Blanc, Oct. 12, 3:00-6:00 p.m, McNeese State University, 4205 Ryan St. Rouge et Blanc is an event series and celebration of food and wine hosted annually by Banners at McNeese State University. This event is the flagship fundraiser for Banners, an arts and cultural program that serves the five-parish area in Southwest Louisiana. Many wine experts and renowned area chefs volunteer to share their expertise with attendees.
www.banners.org

Chuck Fest, Lake Charles, Oct. 19, noon – 11:15 p.m. This annual event celebrates the culture of SWLA through food, drink, music, and art in downtown Lake Charles.

Flea Fest, Burton Coliseum, 7001 Gulf Hwy., Lake Charles, Nov. 9-10. This Big Happy Flea Market Event is held on nearly four covered acres at Burton Coliseum. With over 300 vendors, it’s a bargain hunter’s dream. Antiques, toys, handcrafted items, furniture, jewelry . . . you never know what you’ll find! Food vendors and a petting zoo also onsite.

Mistletoe & Moss, Nov. 15-17, Lake Charles Event Center, 900 Lakeshore Dr. The Junior League of Lake Charles hosts Mistletoe and Moss holiday market annually. It is a one-stop shop for getting your Christmas shopping done. www.jllc.net/mistletoe-moss.

Smoke & Barrel, Nov. 16, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m., Calcasieu Parish Courthouse Lawn, 1000 Ryan St. Lake Charles. The annual Smoke & Barrel celebration will have two distinct admission areas and feature live musical entertainment. The ticketed VIP area hosts a tasting with nearly 100 bourbons, scotches and whiskeys and a BBQ tasting featuring creative dishes from some of the top pit-masters in Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas. The general admission area offers BBQ for sale along with batched whiskey cocktails and other beverages for purchase. An amateur BBQ competition will add to the excitement of the day. www.smokeandbarrel.org