Things to Do in Louisiana This Month
No matter the season, there's always something to celebrate.
From top-notch festivals to end-of-summer celebrations, here's how to spend September in Louisiana.
Treasures on the Bayou
Thibodaux
September 5-6
Treasures on the Bayou highlights all manner of rare antiques, from silver and glass to linens and estate jewelry. Explore three days’ worth of globally sourced, curated goods. You’ll leave a little more cultured than you came — and so will your curio cabinet.
After hunting for antiques, swing by the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center, which offers walking tours, seasonal boat tours of Bayou Lafourche and a museum store, which sells Cajun music, crafts and books.
Learn more about Lafourche Parish.
Mamou Cajun Music Festival
Mamou
September 12-13
The road to the Mamou Cajun Music Festival is centuries long, rutted with Cajun instruments and fiddle bows. This event encompasses half a century of Acadian jams, fais do-dos and kitschy competitions (think: sack races and guinea-pig chases). Not to mention, you won’t find better boudin anywhere else.
Mamou, billed as the epicenter of Cajun music history, has a big reputation. It’s home to Fred’s Lounge, a dance hall with worldwide acclaim. It’s also 20 minutes from Ville Platte, where the Cajun Swamp Pop Museum highlights decades of this folksy, indigenous musical genre.
Plan your trip to Evangeline Parish.
Cajun Food Fest
Lydia
September 13
Lydia’s Cajun Food Fest brings the flavor. All weekend long, sample Cajun eats that season your step. Country music artists grace the stage while craft vendors offer their best creations. Plus, little ones will love the carnival rides and car show.
While you’re celebrating Cajun food in Iberia Parish, take a TABASCO® Factory Tour at Avery Island. Watch the bottling process from start to finish, learn how the famous sauce began and bring home a few spicy souvenirs from the gift shop.
Learn more about Iberia Parish.
Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Shreveport
September 13
Jam from dawn till dusk with musicians from across the country at Highland Jazz & Blues Festival. Local creatives showcase projects from fine art to folk art, and the bites, beers and bubbles are as excellent as the shows.
When the encore’s over, keep the party going at one of Shreveport’s energizing bars, which range from high-end lounges to Southern saloons.
Learn more about Shreveport-Bossier.
Landry Vineyards Grape Stomp
West Monroe
September 13
It’s easy to let loose at Landry Vineyards Grape Stomp, the winery’s biggest event of the year. Where else can you dress like Lucille Ball while squishing buckets of grapes with your bare toes? Plus, you’ll sip crimson cabernet and wine Bellinis, taste delicious food-truck fare and jam to the sweet Southern sound of Lisa Spann & Company.
While you’re in town, explore the charming Monroe Main Street, which offers several local restaurants and shops to explore, or West Monroe’s Antique Alley.
Visit West Monroe.
Oldies but Goodies Fest & Smokin' Oldies BBQ Cook-Off
Port Allen
September 13-14
Bell-bottoms and bouffants are in store at Port Allen’s Oldies but Goodies Fest & Smokin' Oldies BBQ Cook-Off. Smell the smoky-sweet warmth of barbecue at a cook-off on Saturday, and on Sunday, stroll through an antique car show, dance your way to the top in a jitterbug contest and enjoy live music.
Nearby museums offer post-festival fun. Explore the Addis Museum, which houses photographs and memorabilia from Port Allen. Don’t forget to see the Back Brusly Oak, a beloved 400-year-old staple in West Baton Rouge.
Learn more about West Baton Rouge.
Louisiana Food & Wine Festival
Lake Charles
September 18-21
Forces of culinary excellence unite at the Louisiana Food & Wine Festival. This all-inclusive four-day event showcases hundreds of wines, beers and spirits; more than 40 acclaimed restaurants; and the Southeast’s hottest established and burgeoning chefs. Enjoy master classes, a grand tasting, a jazz brunch and more.
Round out your visit to Lake Charles with a nature hike, or spot native plants and wildlife on the estuaries of the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road. Once the sun sets, try your luck at one of the area’s famed casinos.
Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival
Natchitoches
September 19-20
Earthy thyme, spicy cloves, crisp pastry dough — not unlike an empanada, meat pies are a savory fried pastry filled with spiced beef and eaten by hand. You’ll find several delicious iterations at the Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival, a celebration of a traditional Central Louisiana dish. Enjoy live music and a Brew Fest, too.
While you’re in town, explore locations from the Southern cult classic film, Steel Magnolias. The do-it-yourself route highlights 17 notable stops from the movie, including Steel Magnolia House, now a bed-and-breakfast.
Plan your trip to Natchitoches.
Louisiana Chicken Festival
September 20
Dubach
We might not know why the chicken really crossed the road, but we do know Dubach loves to celebrate it. The Louisiana Chicken Festival is an assemblage of events: Join a chicken run, cornhole tournament, cakewalk or dogtrot. Grab a crispy, crunchy plate of fried tenders as you watch the highly anticipated Strut, Cackle & Crow contest, and end the night with a street dance.
Camp at nearby Lincoln Parish Park, where some of the country’s top-rated mountain-biking trails wind through forested greenspace. Lincoln Parish guests are welcome to bring pets, start campfires and use the park’s free Wi-Fi, too. Hoping to stay indoors? City dwellers will enjoy venturing through 18 blocks of downtown Ruston.
Experience Ruston-Lincoln Parish.
Gonzales Hispanic Heritage Festival
Gonzales
September 22
The Hispanic community has shaped Gonzales’ distinct culture since the city’s beginning. At the Gonzales Hispanic Heritage Festival, experience a joyous celebration that centers around community, culture and heritage. Enjoy delicious smoked-paprika-and-saffron-infused paella, traditional Spanish dancing and local artistry.
Can’t get enough of South Louisiana’s cuisine? Enjoy a farm-to-table meal at Houmas House Estate and Gardens. Three restaurants are on-site, and each centers around seasonal, locally grown produce.
Alligator Festival
Luling
September 25-28
Later, gator! Luling’s Alligator Festival delights families with carnival rides, craft vendors, live music and delicious alligator-based dishes. You might just have the chance to pet a live alligator, too.
Don’t leave without a proper visit to a swamp. Luling’s Swamp Adventures offers thrilling airboat tours through alligator-filled estuaries. Have lunch nearby at The Seafood Pot, where chefs cook up authentic crawfish, gumbo and po’boys.
Experience Louisiana’s River Parishes.
Red River Revel
September 25-28 & October 2-5
Shreveport
During Red River Revel, Shreveport is home base for creatives. This seven-day arts-and-culture festival features more than 100 juried visual, musical, theatrical and performing artists from around the country. Names like Rachel Ammons have been known to grace the mainstage, and the food is phenomenal: Enjoy Cajun cuisine like boudin balls and blackened catfish.
When the festivities subside, wind down with your family. Venture through the immersive dome gallery at the Shreveport Aquarium where hundreds of aquatic species thrive, or stroll through Artspace, a contemporary art museum and gallery.
Learn more about Shreveport-Bossier.
Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival
September 26-28
New Iberia
Whether dusted upon beignets or drizzled into a French 75, Louisiana sugar is everywhere. What sweeter way to celebrate this good than at the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival? Enjoy three parades that honor those in the sugarcane industry, and when the sun sets, head to a nightly fais do-do (a Cajun dance party), where you can groove to live music.
Keep the sweet treats rolling with a trip to LeJeune’s Bakery in Jeanerette. Since the 1800s, five generations of LeJeunes have baked French bread and ginger cakes tasty enough to earn a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Learn more about Iberia Parish.
Make Plans for Louisiana This Month
Whether it's one of our many exciting festivals or an adventure in the great outdoors, there is always something unique to experience in Louisiana. Be sure to check our calendar of events for the most up-to-date list of festivities.
