Holidays: Find the spirit of the season in Louisiana
Christmas is a special time almost anywhere, but – much like the rest of the year – the holiday season in Louisiana offers visitors so much more!
Louisiana holiday events are simply more unusual – and more exciting – than they are in most places. Across the state you'll find beautiful riverside festivities that make the shopping, dining and other entertainment of the season just that much better. In north Louisiana, for instance, enjoy Christmas on the River every weekend in Monroe-West Monroe. This year, the twin cities join the Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights, a partnership of eight cities featuring parades, festivals, fireworks and more.
A merry must-see event in central Louisiana, which is also on the Holiday Trail of Lights, is the annual Christmas Festival of Lights in Natchitoches. You'll love the magic of browsing quaint and historic Front Street amid the beautiful decorations and enchanting atmosphere along the Cane River.
In south Louisiana, the town of Delcambre invites you to a Christmas parade on the bayou. Listen to holiday music while decked-out boats float down the water at night. You'll also find a boat parade in the town of Bourg. Enjoy a Cajun and Creole Christmas in Lafayette with home tours, parades and a very special light display at the Acadian Village.
There's no room for grinches in Southwest Louisiana during the Southwest Louisiana Christmas Lighting Festival, which features events and parades in eight different cities.
In southeast Louisiana, Christmas in the Country is a popular holiday celebration in St. Francisville, where you can enjoy specialty shopping, a lovely small-town atmosphere, holiday carols and even a candlelight tour of Oakley Plantation. If you have the good fortune to be in south Louisiana on Christmas Eve, don't pass up the huge and beautiful bonfires set up on the levees along the Mississippi River in Lutcher, or visit earlier in December for their Festival of Bonfires.
New Orleans, of course, is particularly magical this time of year, and visitors and locals alike should be sure to take in the Celebration in the Oaks, a gorgeous display in historic City Park.
What are you waiting on? Make plans now to get in the holiday spirit in Louisiana.
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