Events in Baton Rouge Louisiana

Looking for top-notch, inexpensive family entertainment, great food, a beautiful outdoor experience and some of the best music in the world? Two words: Louisiana festivals.

More than 400 Louisiana festivals occur each year – which makes it easy to see why Louisiana is often called the Festival Capital of America. We celebrate just about every crop harvested, every indigenous dish, every type of music that's played here – ranging from Cajun and zydeco to Delta blues, New Orleans jazz, Louisiana's own swamp pop, country, salsa and more. Excellent Louisiana food is a given at any festival. And as always, Louisiana festivals offer abundant opportunities for meeting new friends.

Themed festivals range from a Strawberry Festival in Ponchatoula and Tomato Festival in Chalmette to the great Festival International in Lafayette; from the big Contraband Days Pirate Festival in Lake Charles to the Holiday Festival of Lights in Natchitoches. From the Red River Revel in Shreveport to the Catfish Festival in Washington. Of course, you'll want to visit the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, or the big family-fun French Quarter Festival.

And for the biggest of them all? That's right, Louisiana is home to Mardi Gras! But that's another story – and a very large one across the state!

Visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana to experience all the things to do in the capital city. From a hot culinary scene to live music, Baton Rouge offers a unique Louisiana experience.  
Politics is deeply entwined in the culture of Baton Rouge; it can be found both in the storied past of local dealmakers, showcased at the Old Louisiana State Capitol, and in the political history that is being written now inside the art deco skyscraper that serves as the current capitol. As home to the main campus of Louisiana State University and several smaller colleges, the city buzzes with the energy of youth while holding fast to its traditions in Southern lifestyle and historic sites. LSU's home football games dominate the fall social calendar when fans perfect the art of tailgating and pack the immense Tiger Stadium. A revival is underway in the city center where attractions range from a riverfront casino to the USS Kidd floating museum to the ultra-contemporary Shaw Center for the Arts, which clusters an art museum, gallery spaces, theaters and restaurants in the heart of downtown.