The Town of Leonville invites you to celebrate the Fourth of July at this free event. With a view of the Bayou Teche at the Leonville Boat Launch, you can enjoy ice cream and snowballs onsite. The Leonville Fire Department will be selling BBQ hotdogs and drinks. Music starts at 6pm and the fireworks at 9pm.
Come out and be a part of the first inaugural Christmas Festival for the City of Opelousas under the oaks in the St. Landry Parish Courthouse Square. Enjoy photos with Santa, cookies and story time with Mrs. Clause, an ugly sweater contest, and plenty of food. Be sure to shop local vendors while you are there. Everything sold will either be Christmas products or prepared in Christmas packaging.
Admission is free.
Former New Orleans Saints player and recent Saints Hall of Fame inductee, Devery Henderson, will serve as this year’s Parade Marshal for the Opelousas Children’s Christmas Parade. The annual holiday event will also feature Christmas-themed floats, marching bands, loveable costumed characters, and of course everyone’s favorite, Santa Claus. The parade is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022.
The parade will begin at the eastern entrance of the city at Landry Street near Le Vieux Village and then continue west through downtown ending at the intersection of Landry and Bullard Streets. Parade registration forms should be submitted by Wednesday, November 30, 2022. Forms can be dropped off at the Opelousas Tourist Information Center at Le Vieux Village located at 828 East Landry Street or to Stephanie Richard at City Hall located at 105 North Main Street.
Along with the City of Opelousas, parade and float sponsors include Catalyst Bank, Casanova Eye Care, St. Landry Parish Government, St. Landry Parish Tax Assessor Sherri Zeringue McGovern, Washington State Bank, St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court Charles Jagneaux, CLECO, American Bank, JD Bank and Roy Motors. For parade information or an entry form, visit cityofopeousas.com or contact Opelousas Tourist Center at 1-800-424-5442 or (337) 948-6263 or by email at info@cityofopelousas.com.
Get a little Christmas cheer from the Opelousas Queen of Angels Choir. They’ll be performing traditional Christmas music in Washington, Louisiana at St. John Episcopal’s Church on the first Saturday in December at 6pm. Admission is free. You will not want to miss out on this one-of-a-kind event.
This event is sponsored by the Washington Garden Club.
Every year, residents of Eunice, Louisiana celebrate Independence Day with a bang! For almost 30 years, the former Mayor and licensed pyrotechnic, Kenneth Peart, orchestrates a 30-minute spectacular display of fireworks. This free show is hosted by The City of Eunice. Bring a picnic blanket or lawn chairs and enjoy the show. Parking for this event is available at the Eunice Recreation Complex.
Celebrate the fourth of July in Krotz Springs, Louisiana. This small town is nestled along the banks of the Atchafalaya River and is considered a sportsman’s paradise for hunters, hikers, fishermen, and birders. The town has a huge 4th of July celebration each year with a fireworks show supervised by the Volunteer Fire Department. Bring the whole family and find a cozy spot at dusk for this beautiful display in Nall Park. You can enjoy hot dogs, watermelons, and live music. Guests are welcome to bring ice chests, lawn chairs, and picnic blankets.
Head out to Riverview RV Resort in Krotz Springs, Louisiana for an Easter Extravaganza. From 10am – 1pm, there is an Egg Hunt & Race for the kids with the Easter Bunny stopping by for photos. Adults can also enjoy a Raw Egg Toss. Remember to bring your own basket. The Anything Pose Photo Booth will be on site from 12pm-6pm.
The gate opens to the public at 1pm. Starting the party will be DJ Big Al pumping out tunes from 1pm-4pm. From 7pm-10pm, you can enjoy the swamp pop stylings of Horace Trahan & the Ossun Express.
An ID is required at the gate. For campsite reservations, call 337-351-4260.
Come out to Opelousas, Louisiana for the Opelousas Creole Easter Blackpot Cook-Off. This event is taking place at the Life Community Complex, formerly the Indian Hills Country Club. With a mini-trail ride, zydeco dance, and Easter egg hunt for the kids, this event is sure to be a ton of fun. Gates open at 8am, but the ride leaves at noon. No 4-wheelers are allowed. At 4pm, you’ll be able to hear RJ & Kreole Smoove live.
Admission is $10, but kids get in free. If you’d like to try your hand and participate in the cook-off, entry is $20.
For vendor information, contact RJ at 337-443-5538.
St. Landry Parish Government is excited to announce the return of the highly anticipated 4th Annual BBQ Festival. The three-day event will be held at the Yambilee Grounds in Opelousas, Louisiana.
The BBQ Festival promises to be a fun-filled weekend for the entire family, featuring a wide variety of delicious barbeque, live music, arts and crafts, and more. Stay tuned for the lineup.
In addition to the live entertainment, the festival will also feature a BBQ cook-off competition, with teams from across Louisiana and beyond battling for the title of BBQ Champion. Visitors can sample a wide variety of delicious barbeque, like traditional pork and brisket. The BBQ cook-off is on Saturday and features categories like beef, chicken, pork, seafood, wild game, and even dessert.
Admission to the festival is free, with food and beverage vendors on-site.
This five-day celebration is not your typical idea of Mardi Gras. There are no beads and doubloons here. Instead, in Eunice, Louisiana, men and women on horseback don hand-crafted wire masks, tall hats called capuchons, and colorful costumes. The main event is the Courir de Mardi Gras & Chicken Run. Here, revelers chase a chicken or guineafowl and participate in Medieval begging practices.
The courir takes place on Mardi Gras day and is only one part of the celebration. Starting the Friday before Mardi Gras Day, you can cut loose all weekend long. Dance in the street at music concerts and jam sessions. There are even activities for children and teenagers at the Lil’ Mardi Gras held on Sunday. Also on Sunday is an old-time boucherie (hog butchering).
The Eunice Courir de Mardi Gras dates back to when the town was first established in the late 19th century. The courir was abandoned for a few years during World War II, but in 1946 a small band of riders revived the tradition. Today, the Eunice Courir de Mardi Gras has more than 2,000 participants on the run. It continues to increase each year.
Learn more about the history of rural Louisiana Mardi Gras traditions here.
