Events in New Roads 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!

New Roads is located in one of the oldest settlement areas in Louisiana. The town is named after a “new road” the Spanish built in 1776 between the Mississippi and the False River, northwest from Baton Rouge. But it was not founded until 1822, when a free woman of color, Catherine Depau subdivided a portion of her plantation there. Known as the “Little Carnival Capital” of Louisiana, New Roads followed New Orleans’ example by staging Mardi Gras celebrations as early as 1881. The event continues to this day, drawing thousands of visitors. A Louisiana Main Street community, New Roads is also home to several plantation estates, particularly along the False River. The river itself is actually a 15-mile oxbow lake. It was once part of the Mississippi River before it changed course and is now the scene of breathtaking natural beauty and a great spot for fishing, boating and water-skiing.