A melting pot of French, African, American and French-Canadian cultures, the southeastern state of Louisiana represents American cosmopolitanism at its most dynamic. With such a rich diversity of people, all bringing with them flavours of their heritage, it’s little wonder that this ethnic melange has led to a large number of festivals and fairs taking place here throughout the year, many of which celebrate the magic of multiculturalism.
A man decked out in a skull mask and eyepatch plays the trumpet at NOLA Pyrate Week (Photo: Quinn Dombrowski via Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)
If you’re planning a trip to Louisiana and would like to attend one of its festivals or fairs during your stay, below is a selection of the one that you should look out for – with a particular focus on those taking place in the iconic city of New Orleans. And if you want to know about the exact dates they’re taking place in 2021, be sure to keep checking the official event websites.
Fur and Wildlife Festival
Originally a relatively low-profile fur skinning contest, the annual Louisiana Fur and Wildlife Festival has grown into a far larger event encompassing a range of entertainment centred around animals. There’s parades, a Gumbo Cook-off, pageants, a 5k and 1 Mile Run, Cajun music, and a carnival with amusement rides. The festival program also features quirky contests including duck and goose calling, trap setting, oyster shucking, skeet shooting and dog trials.
LOCATION Downtown Cameron DATES January
Mid-Winter Rodeo
There’s nothing more quintessentially American than a good old fashioned Rodeo and each year Louisiana plays host to a large number of such events, which pits the skill of cowboys and cowgirls against horses, bulls, steers and other cattle. One of the most popular is the Mid-Winter Fair Rodeo in the city of Lafayette, where professional contenders from around the world challenge themselves against the finest quality livestock.
LOCATION Blackham Coliseum, Lafayette DATES January
The crowd look on at the Mid-Winter Rodeo (Photo: Mid-Winter Rodeo)
The Independence Sicilian Festival
With its melting pot of cultures, it’s no surprise that much of Louisiana’s annual calendar is made up of events celebrating the heritage of one group or another. One of the most popular is The Independence Sicilian Festival, which honours the Sicilian Italian families who came here in the 1880s searching for a place to settle. The festival features a huge programme of events and activities including street dancing, live entertainment, a parade, arts and craft booths, a spaghetti cook-off, Italian music, and authentic Sicilian cuisine.
LOCATION Downtown Independence DATES March
Visitors to the the Independence Sicilian Festival stand proud during a rendition of The Star Spangled Banner (Photo: The Independence Sicilian Festival)
St Patrick’s Day in New Orleans
In New Orleans, St Patrick’s Day is an excuse for a multi-week celebration featuring parades, block parties and enough corned beef and cabbage to feed an army. The reason for the city’s fondness for St Paddy’s Day is two-fold. Firstly, New Orleans simply loves a party. But of equal importance is the long heritage of Irish people here, having arrived in their droves during the 17th century. Many wound up settling in the city’s Irish Channel district, but the celebrations are not confined to this area, with the revelry spread throughout the city.
LOCATION Across New Orleans DATES March
Revelers enjoying themselves at St Patricks Day in New Orleans (Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
New Orleans Sacred Music Festival
Fancy seeing Tibetan monks strutting their stuff to the sounds of Gospel music? The Sacred Music Festival is where such unlikely scenes take place each year. Billed as melodic, inspirational and uplifting, yet serious and profoundly personal, the festival is certainly a more spiritual occasion than New Orleans’ other more rough and ready musical celebrations, with prayers and chants playing a prominent role. There’s also some great food on offer too.
LOCATION New Orleans Healing Center DATES March
A performance at the 2016 edition of the New Orleans Sacred Music Festival (Photo: New Orleans Sacred Music Festival)
Saints & Sinners Literary Festival
This is a festival that combines culture and entertainment with a serious and important message. Founded in 2003, it brings together writers, editors, publishers, thinkers and other spokespeople from the LGBT community in an attempt to educate and inform about HIV and AIDS and to discuss wider LGBT issues. There’s panel discussions and master classes focussing on LGBT-themed literary subjects, with speakers encouraged to discuss their work and the impact they feel LGBT literature as a whole has had on the way their community are treated by society.
LOCATION Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans DATES March
NOLA Pyrate Week
The history of Louisiana is inextricably linked with pirates, who are said to have hid their ships and loot here way back in the 17th century. This rich history is marked each year at NOLA Pyrate Week, featuring an array of live music and performances, vendors and artists, all with a distinctly ‘Pyrate’ theme. Visitors are encouraged to dress up for the occasion, by donning traditional pirate garb including eye patches, pirate hats, wigs and swords. But it’s not all frivolity – proceeds from the event go to various local charities.
LOCATION New Orleans French Quarter DATES March-April
Revellers gather during a previous edition of NOLA Pyrate Week (Photo: Dawn Carl)
Freret Street Festival
It may lack the world-renowned reputation of Mardi Grass, but the Freret Street Festival certainly holds its own when it comes to outdoor fun and frivolities. Over 2000 local vendors present art, crafts and wearables, while live music takes place on three separate stages. Food also plays a central role, with food courts featuring some of New Orleans’ finest chefs. Children are well catered for too, with a dedicated Kids Area featuring an oversized Jenga set, face painting, a craft table, hourly relay races and sidewalk art contests.
LOCATION Freret Street, New Orleans DATES April
Colourfully dressed festival-goers march down Feret Street (Photo: Feret Street Festival)
Breux Bridge Crawfish Festival
Food, fun and music. What’s not to love about the annual Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival? Taking place in Parc Hardy in the small city of Breaux Bridge, the 3-day festival dates back to 1960 when the city was named the Crawfist Capital of the World. Today the event attracts visitors from far and wide thanks to its rich programme of events and activities including live music from over 30 bands, dance competitions and the chance to enjoy crawfish cooked and prepared in every conceivable way.
LOCATION Parc Hardy, Breaux Bridge DATES April-May
Visitors to the Breux Bridge Crawfish Festival hungrily feast on the culinary offerings (Photo: Breux Bridge Crawfish Festival)
Mudbug Madness
This hugely popular festival has come a long way since its relatively humble origins as a two-day event that had its debut in 1984. Since those comparatively low-key days the festival has grown rapidly and is now widely considered one of Louisiana’s most eagerly awaited cultural events of the year. Celebrating all things Cajun, the length of the festival is now three full days, with Cajun-themed cuisine, music, micro-brewed ales, contests, and fun for all ages taking place over Memorial Day weekend each year.
LOCATION Festival Plaza, Downtown Shreveport DATES May
Bayou Boogaloo
Set on the banks of the historic Bayou Saint John river, this festival fuses culture, creativity and entertainment. There’s live music, art and food, plus a whole host of stalls offering everything from photographic prints, jewellery and woodworks to novelty items such as voodoo dolls, ceramic oyster stoneware and handcrafted hats. But there’s no doubting the main attraction here – music. With a total of four stages spread across the festival, and a diverse range of performers, there’s something to satisfy every aural taste.
LOCATION Bayou St. John, New Orleans DATES May
Birdfoot Festival
“International quality with a local flavour” is how this dynamic New Orleans music festival describes itself. Named after the branching footprint of the Mississippi River Delta, the event takes place in jazz clubs and concert halls across the city, showcasing the very best in live chamber music from both emerging and established artists. As you’d expect from the genre, the festival has a relaxed intimacy which has helped it gain an enthusiastic local following and critical reviews over the years.
LOCATION Venues across New Orleans DATES May-June
A musical act in full flow at Birdfoot Festival (Photo: Birdfoot Festival)
New Orleans Loving Festival
With contemporary politics and culture causing such divisions across society, an event like the New Orleans Loving Festival has never been more needed. Designed to challenge racism and bigotry by bringing creative people together to work towards social justice for racial minorities, the summer festival serves as a platform for films, art and literature that promote the cause of race relations through their messaging and content. After parties and comedy nights ensure the festival also has a fun and light-hearted side.
LOCATION Venues across New Orleans DATES June
A photo of an interracial couple taken at the New Orleans Loving Festival (Photo: New Orleans Loving Festival)
Naughty in N’awlins
Billed as one of the world’s largest lifestyle convention for couples, more than 1,000 polyamorous couples descend on New Orleans each year for this epic swinging convention. The event includes a giant Sexual Freedom Parade aimed at raising awareness of polyamorous relationships, swinging lifestyles and so-called archaic laws outlawing sex toys. There’s also seminars and workshops on Tantra, BDSM, photography, massage and much more.
LOCATION Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel, New Orleans DATES August
Satchmo Summerfest
Presented by Chevron, this festival celebrates the life, legacy, and music of New Orleans’ native son, Louis Armstrong. What began in 2001 as a way to commemorate the musician’s 100th birthday has grown into a three-day event filled with entertainment, education, and fare from some of New Orleans’ most notable restaurants. Featuring over 100 artists representing New Orleans’ finest traditional and contemporary jazz musicians and brass bands, the festival also showcases New Orleans’ most important indigenous traditions, such as a Sunday morning Jazz Mass at the historic St. Augustine Church in Treme and traditional second line parade. A modest $5 daily admission helps support local musicians and funds the event.
LOCATION New Orleans Jazz Museum DATES July-August
A colourful parade at Satchmo Summerfest (Photo: Satchmo Summerfest)
Delcambre Shrimp Festival
The Delcambre Shrimp Festival honours the area’s rich heritage when it comes to the humble shrimp, celebrating the local shrimping industry with events including a shrimp cook-off, queens, pageants, fais-do-dos, carnival rides, boat parade, food court and much more. During the festival you can enjoy signature shrimp dishes like boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp sauce piquante and shrimp salad. And if your kids are fussy eaters, there’s plenty to keep them entertained besides shrimp-based food too.
LOCATION Venues across Delcambre DATES August
A chef cooks up a treat at the Delcambre Shrimp Festival (Photo: Louisiana Sea Grant via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
New Orleans Burlesque Festival
For centuries, New Orleans’ French Quarter has been a hotspot for burlesque entertainment and this festival brings together the world’s best burlesque performers, comic emcees and singers for four days of elaborate, risqué shows. Among the highlights is The Queen of Burlesque Competition, featuring classic striptease dancers who perform their solos to live traditional jazz music in front of panel of celebrity judges charged with choosing the winner.
LOCATION Hilton New Orleans Riverside DATES September
A performance at the New Orleans Burlesque Festival (Photo: Kaylin Idora Photography via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Irish Fest
Celebrating the finest in Irish music, food, and culture in New Orleans, this event attracts anyone and everyone with a passion for all things Irish – whether it’s a beloved distant relative or a penchant for Guinness. There’s food, music, a dance competition, a Kilt runway show, bagpipers and lectures, plus a dedicated children’s area with pony rides, face painting, animal petting, crafts, science experiments and more.
LOCATION Kingsley House, New Orleans DATES September
Ascension Hot Air Balloon Festival
The small city of Gonzales in the parish of Ascension, known for its Jambalaya, history, and booming industry, is scenic enough from the ground, but this annual two-day festival gives people the chance to cast their eye over its distinctive charm from a rather more elevated vantage point. There’s hot air balloon glows, along with live entertainment, a barbecue competition, fireworks shows, carnival rides, a children’s village and plenty more.
LOCATION Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, Ascension DATES September
A dramatic bird’s-eye view over the Ascension Hot Air Balloon Festival (Photo: Ascension Hot Air Balloon Festival)
New Orleans Fried Chicken Festival
The National Fried Chicken Festival presented by Raising Cane’s is a free outdoor festival that brings food, music, family and festivities together in celebration of the classic Southern dish. Hosted at New Orleans’ Woldenberg Riverfront Park along the banks of the Mississippi River, attractions include three music stages, football lounge, kids pavilion, misting lounge, celebrity cooking demo stage, and an ultimate VIP experience.
LOCATION Woldenberg Riverfront Park, New Orleans DATES September
Crowds gathered in front of a stage at New Orleans Fried Chicken Festival (Photo: New Orleans Fried Chicken Festival)
Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival
As Louisiana’s largest sugar-cane producer, the small rural community of Iberia Parish is a fitting host each fall to the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival and Fair. The five-day event has celebrated the impact of the sugar industry on the region for more than 75 years, with highlights including a carnival-style fair, live musical performances, amusement rides, games, and a variety of food vendors. In keeping with the theme, there’s also a sugar cookery contest, sugar cane displays and sugar artistry exhibits.
LOCATION Bouligny Plaza, New Iberia DATES September
Gretna Heritage Festival
The New Orleans suburb of Gretna plays host to a 3-day music festival, spread across 25 blocks of the town’s historic district. With fun for all the family, the event attracts large crowds who come to enjoy live music performances by local and national acts, plus arts & crafts, rides, entertainment and a specially themed Italian Village and German Beer Garden. In fact, while billed as a music festival, the fabulous food and drink here is enough alone to make it one of the region’s most popular annual occasions.
LOCATION Venues across Gretna DATES September
Extravagantly attired visitors to the Gretna Heritage Festival (Photo: nola.agent via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)