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SUGARFESTWest Baton Rouge Museum, 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. A sweet celebration of the sugar cane harvest with family-oriented activities, food and music, tours of the museum grounds, folklife demonstrations, sweets contest. Free. (225) 336-2442.
INTERNATIONAL HERITAGE CELEBRATION noon-8 p.m., Baton Rouge River Center. Parade of Nations, multi-cultural food, music, dance, storytelling, native dress, performances, educational booths, international market, Taste of Nations Food Court. Free. Sponsored by the Baton Rouge Center for World Affairs, Inc.
ANGOLA PRISON RODEO Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola. Rodeo, live entertainment, food, arts and crafts, including jewelry, leather goods, paintings and woodwork done by inmates. Known far and wide as the “Wildest Show in the South.” Gates open at 9 a.m.; rodeo at 2 p.m.; crafts open until 5 p.m. Admission $10. For tickets, call (225) 655-2030 or Angola Rodeo
TASTE OF BATON ROUGE™ October 6th, 2006 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.Baton Rouge River Center Join us for a fabulous evening of fine wine and terrific cuisine where you'll experience samplings from over 60 of Baton Rouge's best restaurants and over 150 varieties of fine wine. Plus, we'll have live music from The Michael Foster Project! Come enjoy this city’s premiere epicurean event as we showcase the best in Baton Rouge wining and dining at Taste of Baton Rouge™!
ATAKAPAS TRADE DAYS Longfellow Evangeline State Historic Site, St. Martinville. A somewhat smaller event is planned this year, with demonstrations of blacksmithing, leather working, and firing of black-powder weapons. (337) 394-3754.
PONCHATOULA OKTOBERFEST Fleur de Lis, downtown Ponchatoula. German-style celebration with a beer garden, food, drink, music and dancing. Opens 6 p.m. Friday; ends 10 p.m. Saturday. Ponchatoula
26TH ANNUAL ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL 9 a.m.-5 p.m., St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 8833 Goodwood Blvd. The event features works by at least 100 artists and craftspeople from several states. (225) 357-7835 or 926-5343.
DENHAM SPRINGS ANTIQUES VILLAGE FALL FESTIVAL 9 a.m.-5 p.m., North Range Avenue, downtown Denham Springs. Family fun, safety demonstration, food, entertainment, arts and crafts, antiques, etc. (225) 665-5551.
HILLTOP PLANTFEST! 2005 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. Plantfest! will feature a huge collection of native and hard-to-find plants. Proceeds benefit educational programs of the Arboretum. (225) 767-6916 or Hilltop
ROBERTS COVE GERMANFEST St. Leo IV Catholic Church, La. 98, Roberts Cove. Family festival celebrates the community’s German heritage with food, including brisket sandwiches, potato salad, sausages, sauerkraut and potato stew, domestic and imported beer. (337) 334-8354.
ST. GEORGE PARISH FAIR 7880 Siegen Lane. Carnival rides, live music, food, children’s parade, fun run. (225) 293-2212.
RURAL LIFE HARVEST DAYS 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. both days, LSU Rural Life Museum, I-10 at Essen Lane. Living history demonstrations will take visitors back to 19th century life on Louisiana farms and plantations. Watch syrup making, spinning, weaving, open hearth cooking, candle making, plowing and corn grinding. (225) 765-2437.
RED RIVER REVEL ARTS FESTIVAL Festival Plaza on the riverfront, downtown Shreveport. This 30th annual event is an outdoor festival in north Louisiana that in the past has drawn more than 180,000 people from a five-state region. The 8-day celebration features entertainment artists, live music, children’s art activities, food booths and shopping opportunities. (318) 424-4000.
OLDIES BUT GOODIES FEST noon-7 p.m., West Baton Rouge Tourist Information and Conference Center. Poker run and fun run to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Old-fashioned games, good, antique car show, live music by Na Na Sha, contests for twist, limbo, jitterbug, costume. (225) 344-2920.
LOUISIANA COTTON FESTIVAL AND LE TOURNOI VILLE PLATTE6 pm—midnight Friday, 10 am—7 pm Saturday, 8:15 am—6 pm Sunday. $5 admission. (337) 363-2193
CREOLE HERITAGE DAY CELEBRATION AND EXPO Natchitoches Event Center, Natchitoches. Exhibits, panel discussions, workshops, health fair, historical tours of the Marksville and Natchitoches areas, zydeco dances, documentary showings, banquet and awards. (318) 357-6685.
GUMBO FESTIVALGumbo Festival Bridge City, La. Everyone is invited to enter the Gumbo Cooking Contest (call for details); continuous live entertainment and a fais-do-do anchor the outdoor activities; Miss Creole Gumbo 2006 and King Creole Gumbo XXXII will also be on hand to greet visitors. 6 pm–11 pm Friday, noon–11 pm Saturday, 8 am–11 pm Sunday at 1701 Bridge City Avenue. (504) 436-4881 or Gumbo
WETLANDS FESTIVAL Southdown Plantation, Houma. Live music, poker run, prizes, great cuisine, lectures on wetlands loss. Sponsored by Voice of the Wetlands. (985) 655-VOW1 or Wetlands
FESTIVALS ACADIENS Lafayette. (800) 346-1958 or Festival Packed with food, entertainment and other events, the Creole/Cajun celebration is actually several festivals rolled into one, including:
DOWNTOWN ALIVE! This event kicks off Festivals Acadiens at 5:30 p.m. in Parc International with music by T-Salé and Nathan Williams & the Zydeco Cha-Chas.
LOUISIANA CRAFT FAIR Girard Park is the setting for this fair of traditional and fine artists and craftspeople demonstrating and selling their wares.
BAYOU FOOD FESTIVAL The variety of food doesn’t get any greater than at this festival, which serves up seafood lasagna, crawfish beignets, crawfish fettuccine, shrimp jambalaya, fried crab cake with crab sauce, sweet potato pie, homemade boudin, bread pudding with rum sauce, and a lot more as the area’s best restaurants turn out.
FESTIVAL DE MUSIQUE ACADIENNE The fest features Louisiana Cajun and zydeco bands drawing crowds from all over. The tentative slate of performers includes: Kevin Naquin & the Ossun Playboys, Ray Abshire & Friends, Dexter Ardoin & the Creole Ramblers, Beausoleil, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Jason Frey & Lagniappe, Robert Jardell & Pure Cajun, Paul Daigle & Cajun Gold, Balfa Toujours and Wayne Toups & ZydeCajun.
BOUCHERIE FESTIVAL Reynolds Lambert Park, Ascension Civic Center, Airline Highway, Sorrento. This annual festival celebrates the Cajun Boucherie with activities including the Crackling Cooking World Championship competition, dancing to live music, a pageant, Cajun food and rides. (225) 675-6187.
SEMI-ANNUAL ANTIQUE FAIROld Schoolhouse Antique Mall, 123 S. Church St., Washington, La. More than 100 dealers from across the country will display antiques on the grounds of the old schoolhouse. (337) 826-3580 or Old School House
SLAUGHTER CIVIC CLUB 6TH ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Slaughter Town Hall. Health walk, arts and crafts, cake walk, games for children of all ages, dunking booth, face painting, hourly drawings, magic show, music and entertainment, food and drinks, and more. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (225) 654-8549.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GUMBO COOK-OFFNew Iberia, La. 11:30 am–9 pm Saturday; 9 am–4 pm Sunday. Bouligny Plaza in downtown New Iberia. (337) 364-1836.
NATCHITOCHES PILGRIMAGE various locations, Natchitoches. The Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches presents this 52nd annual fall tour of homes. Among the houses on the tour are Pierson-Lee Riverhouse, Winbarg Cottage, Levy-East House, Kate Chopin House and Prudhomme-Rouquier House. Take candlelight, town or Cane River country tours. (800) 259-1714 or (318) 352-6398.
ST. AUGUSTINE CHURCH FAIR St. Augustine Church, La. 493 at Isles Brevelle, south of Natchitoches. Creole food, turkey shoot, motorcycle run, ROTC drill march, country store, music, raffles, food, dance and games. Free. (800) 259-1714.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GUMBO COOKOFF FESTIVAL Bouligny Plaza, New Iberia. Food festival and gumbo cookoff, with music and samplings. Free. (337) 364-1836.
AWESOME ART IN AUTUM GARDENSDarrow, La.$10 admission; guided tours of the mansion, a brunch buffet, and drinks from the Turtle Bar will also be available. The Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge have had a hand in bringing this one together, too. (504) 891-9494 or Art Gumbo
FALL FULL MOON FESTIVAL OF BLUES Moose Lodge, 8931 Greenwell Springs Road. Area blues greats will be on hand to perform, including Kenny Acosta & the House Reckers, Henry Gray, Big Daddy O, Chicago Al and the Back Burners, Maggie Brown, Mark Klein and many others. Hosted by the Baton Rouge Blues Society. Admission $20 in advance, $25 at the gate, free for those age 15 and under. Gates open at 1 p.m.; show starts at 2 p.m. (225) 262-2589 or Bluzman
FEAST ON THE LEVEE 10 a.m.-7 p.m., St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 402 S. Kirkland Dr., River Road, Brusly. Great food, children’s activities, rock wall, baking contest, country store, silent auction and more. (225) 749-2189.
CREOLE FESTIVALFrench Settlement, La. Creole House Museum from 10 am–6 pm at the Town Hall Pavilion on Louisiana Highway 16. Bring a lawn chair. Creole House
PEPPER FESTIVALSt. Martinville, La. 9 am–7 pm in downtown St. Martinville. (337) 394-5264.
WASHINGTON PARISH FAIR Parish Fairgrounds, Franklinton. The event begins with a parade on Wednesday, and continues through the weekend with a carnival midway, rodeo, queen’s contest, exhibits, musical entertainment, livestock show, fine arts, photography, youth exhibits, crafts, food, children’s activities and playground, and authentic pioneer village.
INTERNATIONAL RICE FESTIVAL Parkerson Ave., (La. 13) downtown Crowley. Live entertainment, rice contests, arts and crafts, children’s and grand parades, street dance, queen’s contest and more. Hours are 9 a.m.-midnight Thursday; 9:30 a.m.-midnight Friday; and 9 a.m.-midnight Saturday. (337) 783-3067 or Rice Fest
INTERNATIONAL ACADIAN FESTIVAL C.M. “Mike” Zito Multi-Purpose Center grounds, La. 75, Plaquemine. The 38th annual event will offer typical festival food along with gumbo, jambalaya, sauce piquant and fried seafood. Arts and crafts, games, rides, bands, bull bash both days, parade at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Hours are 5 p.m.-midnight Friday, 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday, and noon-9 p.m. Sunday. (225) 687-6483.
ANDOUILLE FESTIVAL Percy Hebert Building, 1801 W. Airline Highway, LaPlace. Pageants, food, music, arts and crafts, and rides. Live entertainment will include Bag of Donuts, Desire Street Band, Top Cats and Take Five. Hours are 6 p.m.-midnight Friday, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday, and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. (985) 652-9569.
OKTOBERFEST 2006 Gonzales, La. 5:30 pm–midnight Friday, 11 am–midnight Saturday; 10:30 am–7 pm Sunday at 9039 St. Landry Road (Off I-10 at exit 177). $10 adults, free for children. (888) 775-7990 or OktoberFest
SLECA FARMER’S MARKET AND CRAFT FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 2028 Coteau Road (La. 660), Houma. Fresh produce, more than 200 crafts booths featuring woodwork, floral arrangements, sewn items, jewelry, preserves and other home-canning goods, food, a 4-H seafood cooking contest and live music. Sponsored by the South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association. (985) 876-6880.
OLD FARMERS’ DAY & HORSE PULL Todd Brunett Dairy Farm, two miles north of Loranger. The Brunetts open 35 acres of their 250-acre working dairy farm to the public for two days, with all sorts of farm-related activities — a wagon train, hog butchering, hay cutting, sugar cane grinding and more. Demonstrations include weaving, campfire cooking and blacksmithing. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (985) 878-2360.
14TH ANNUAL CAJUN OKTOBERFEST Cajun Village, Sorrento. Live music, dancing, entertainment, authentic Cajun food cooked on site, arts and crafts booths. (225) 675-5572.
WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, Water Street, Madisonville. One-of-a-kind artwork and crafts, regional cuisine, boatbuilding contest and race, children’s village, musical entertainment, classic car show. Sponsored by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum and Hancock Bank. Patron party on Friday, Oct. 20. (985) 345-9200.
BOO AT THE ZOO 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo, 3601 Thomas Road. The event promises a “merry not scary” trick-or-treating experience with 21 treat stations, hay maze, a photo op with a zoo animal, fall-themed games and more. Hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission $5.50 for adults and teens, $4.50 for seniors, $2.50 for children age 2-12, free for children age 1 and under. (225) 775-3877.
LAUREL VALLEY FALL HERITAGE FESTIVAL 706 La. 308, two miles south of Thibodaux. Forty-five arts and crafts booths, historical entertainment, book signing by Coleen Salley, Civil War re-enactment and Cajun food. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (985) 414-3456.
YAMBILEE FESTIVAL Yambilee Grounds, U.S. 190, west of Opelousas. Carnival, yam cooking competitions, a “yamimal” contest in which yams are dressed as animals, marketplace, arts and crafts, farmers market, parade, live music, seniors’ dance 1-4 p.m. Thursday. A pre-event Wednesday, Oct. 25, is the evening Soiree Royale at the Yambilee Building, where 30-40 chefs cook up their specialties for guests to sample ($30). Festival admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids 12 and under when bands are performing; and $2 for adults, $1 for kids 12 and under when bands aren’t performing. (337) 948-8848.
GREATER BATON ROUGE STATE FAIR BREC Airline Highway Park, Baton Rouge. Attractions every day, include The Farm Experience, Hambone Express (racing pigs), magician Tim Spinosa, Al the artist (caricatures, cartoon car) and clowns. Also a livestock pavilion, special events, live music, midway and food booths. The entertainment schedule includes: the Cox Communications Gospel Choir, Healing Place Church Choir, Voices of Zion, Mr. Man, The Terms, Curtis Coubello and the Instagators, the Cypress Band, Christian Serpas and Ghost Town, T. Graham Brown, Smokehouse Porter, Miss Mamie, and the Gutbucket Blues Band, Vince Vance and the Valiants and many others. Hours are 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-midnight Friday, 1 p.m.-midnight Saturday, and 1-10 p.m. Sunday. (225) 755-FAIR or State Fair
ST. LOUIS KING OF FRANCE PARISH FAIR 2121 N. Sherwood Forest Blvd. Food, fun and fellowship, carnival midway, games, raffles, live music Friday night. (225) 275-7280.
FRENCH FOOD FESTIVAL LaRose Regional Park, off La. 308. The old-fashioned food festival, in its 31st year, will again offer Cajun cooking, folklife, music and dancing. Twenty different local specialty dishes will be for sale at decorated food booths. Also look for a carnival midway, games, rides and folklife demonstrations, including boat building and cooking. (985) 693-7355.Food Fest
ROCKTOBER FESTIVAL 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Buddy Stewart’s Rhythm Museum, 1712 N. Acadian Thruway West. Baton Rouge’s musical heritage is celebrated with live music starting at noon. Look for the Baton Rouge Blues Revue and a host of other live bands. Also featured will be local gospel, jazz and zydeco bands, as well as elementary school music and dance groups. Food, games, space walk, prizes. Free. (225) 229-8698 or (225) 383-9661.
ATCHAFALAYA CATFISH FESTIVAL Civic Center, Melville. The festival parade rolls through town at 11 a.m. Entertainment starts at 1 p.m. and will offer Bobby & the Zydeco Roadrunners, Lil Kenny & the Heart Breakers, J. Paul Jr. & the Zydeco Nubreeds, and Kim Brasseau & Louisiana Boogie. Lots of food, arts and crafts and children’s activities. (337) 623-4226.
ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Grace Lutheran Church, 422 Valhi Blvd., Houma. Silent auction, arts and crafts, cakewalk, children’s games, plate lunches, snacks, children’s activities. (985) 879-1865.
6TH ANNUAL HARVEST MOON FESTIVAL downtown Franklin. Live music, children’s carnival, teen activities, antique, hot rod, classic car and motorcycle show, power boat exhibit, concessions, vendors, arts and crafts, etc. (985) 395-4905 or http://www.cajuncoast.com.
4TH ANNUAL YELLOW LEAF ARTS FESTIVAL downtown St. Francisville. About 30 artists will show and sell their works, including paintings, jewelry, glass, soaps, photography, pottery and more. There’s a book signing 10 a.m.-noon Saturday with Terri Dunham, and music both days.
OAK ALLEY PLANTATION ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Oak Alley Plantation. Arts and crafts, interactive storytelling, Halloween contest for the kids, festival foods including crawfish etouffee, fried catfish, bloomin’ onions, chicken and beef gyros, funnel cakes, rum cake, pies, pralines and more. Admission $5 for age 19 and over, $2 for age 6-18, free for children age 5 and under. (225) 265-2151.
FALL FOR ART FESTIVAL St. Landry Parish Courthouse Square, 118 Court St., downtown Opelousas. This is the first such festival sponsored by the Opelousas Museum of Art. The benefit for the museum is designed to exhibit diverse Louisiana fine art and to increase public appreciation for the arts. Artist will have their work displayed on the square from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. (337) 942-4991 or e-mail fallforart@aol.com.
Look for festival updates in each week's Friday FUN section of the
Morning Advocate and Visit Baton Rouge
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