Events in Minden 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!
With its distinctive red-bricked Main Street lined with shops, banks and churches, old-time charm pervades downtown Minden. History buffs will find plenty to explore in Minden's historic districts with their antebellum and Victorian-era homes--- or at Minden Cemetery, which includes soldiers' graves from Civil War battles fought nearby. Just outside Minden, the Germantown Colony and Museum offers a glimpse of what life was like in an early 19th century settlement created by followers of the German-based Utopian Movement. Minden is also a gateway to outdoor recreation galore at destinations like Dorcheat Bayou and Lake Bistineau, teeming with largemouth bass and the Caney Lakes Recreation Area with its numerous trails, campsites and lakes. The Webster Parish Fair comes to Minden in October with rides, games and a parade through downtown, while the Moess Art Center and City Farm combines art and agriculture and hosts annual events like the Spring Arts Festival.
