Arts & Culture: North Louisiana Festivals

Featuring arts, crafts, music, food, pageants and, of course, watermelon, this festival is a 3 day block full of activities for the whole family. Farmerville, LA in mid-July.

Famous historian Jack Edmonson portrays Col. James Bowie as he tells the story of the Sandbar Duel -- the fight that made Bowie and his knife famous. Held in Vidalia, LA

Held in September in Monroe, Louisiana. Their mission is to bring communities together with safe, wholesome family entertainment while celebrating and promoting the rich art, music and history of the Delta.

And to think that not too long ago, folks in North LA thought crawfish were just bait! Celebrating Louisiana's rich Cajun heritage, this festival is a giant crawfish boil in the middle of Shreveport. In May.

Held in Winnfield, LA, in April, this event salutes the timber industry in Louisiana. There are numerous forestry equipment displays and related exhibits. Plus professional lumberjack sports competitors complete with 13 lumberjack events and 6 different chainsaw events.

Takes place in May and includes regional jazz, blues and R&B on the Cane River. Fun!!

Held the first weekend in May, Vernon Parish gets into the festival swing with Mayfest -- FREE Louisiana music, great food, and lots of fun for all in downtown Leesville.

Get over to Zwolle to experience the forestry skills, mud bog, sawing, loading, & skidding competitions. Also food, crafts and 2 nights of live entertainment! Fun for the whole family!!

Held in June in Ruston, LA, whose peaches are famous throughout the south and are certainly worthy of celebration. Features peach cooking & eating contests, rides, music and more!!

Held on the Northwestern University campus in Natchitoches, LA during July. With a different theme each year, the Folk Festival strives to preserve the folkways of the cultures that created Louisiana life. Regular events include the State Fiddle Championship as well as music and cultural programming tied to the year's theme.

Come to Natchitoches in September for Mmm... Meat pies! The oldest city in the Louisiana Purchase celebrates its oldest food staple -- the fried, meat-filled pie. There are other things at the Fest besides meat pies -- music, games, arts & crafts. But it's really just about the pie.

In October, make your way to Zwolle: a small town with a Dutch name that serves up big tamales at this celebration of the Spanish and Native American contributions to Louisiana culture. Try your hand at tamale-making, dance the night away, attend the beauty pageant. It's fun!

Held near the Red River in October, Shreveport's 8-day arts festival gets bigger and better every year. Featuring over one hundred juried artists working in all media, this festival is a mecca for art lovers. And there's also music, food, shopping, and children's activities.

This early November fest celebrates pecans -- a native nut greatly revered in the South. Come to Colfax, LA, for lots of pecan-related activities as well as rides and music.

Starting as a one-day festival in 1927, the Natchitoches Christmas Festival has evolved into a six-week long event, beginning on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and concluding on January the 6th, the Epiphany. It features Christmas lights EVERYWHERE in the city and on the banks of Cane River, along with entertainment, food, fireworks every Saturday, and a parade.