Baton Rouge Announces 2025 Big Events

Mardi Gras in the southern Bayou offers a laid-back yet spirited celebration with a host of festive parades leading up to Fat Tuesday, each featuring colorful floats, live music and local flair. Highlights include the Krewe of Oshun Parade honoring African American heritage, the longstanding Krewe of Orion Parade and the CAAWS Mystic Krewe of Mutts Parade – a must see for animal lovers. The refined reveler can shop for treasures inspired by carnival season with local retailers MIMOSA Handcrafted, Queen of Sparkles and Sweet Baton Rouge. The city’s culinary scene adds a delicious twist with creative King Cake-inspired treats, while the Capitol Park Museum provides a deeper dive into Louisiana’s rich Mardi Gras traditions.

At the center of Baton Rouge’s festival season is 225 Fest, the premier cultural celebration showcasing the city’s rich heritage, vibrant local talent and unique flavors. Now in its third year, the festival drew more than 30,000 attendees in 2024 to enjoy live music, local craftsmanship, delicious food and community connection. The festival brings the spirit of the capital city to life offering one-of-a-kind experiences and memories associated with the iconic Baton Rouge area code, 225.

Louisiana’s parade culture meets the pride of the Irish in one of Baton Rouge’s most acclaimed traditions, the annual Wearin’ of the Green parade. The beloved event first stepped off in 1986 and continues to this day with participants and onlookers clad in green and white. The parade features numerous marching bands, bagpipers, dignitaries and many colorful “krewes” marching down the beautiful tree-lined route in the Hundred Oaks/Perkins Road areas.

One of the oldest blues festivals in the country returns this April to celebrate the Swamp Blues, a style distinctive to Baton Rouge, which emerged from its Black communities in the 1950’s and blends zydeco and Cajun influences, characterized by haunting echoes, shuffle beats, tremolo guitars and harmonica with very little percussion. This year the free, family-friendly music festival will feature Chris Thomas King, Kenny Neal, Cedric Burnside, Adia Victoria, the Lost Bayou Ramblers and many more.

This 3-day festival invites visitors to celebrate the flavors of the South with a judged culinary competition featuring participants flexing their soul-food-cooking muscles across a variety of categories, including entrees, vegetables and side dishes, desserts and more. Attendees can also enjoy live performances of blues and soul music, alongside a Vendor’s Village offering unique goods and crafts.

View original art, listen to live music and sample tasty authentic eats at this annual springtime art festival, hosted across a 2.5 mile stretch of Government Street. The free event is organized by the Mid-City Merchants Association, representing businesses across Mid City, a celebrated and diverse region of Baton Rouge that blends racial, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Red Stick’s premier food and wine festival is a feast for the senses, showcasing over 200 hand-selected wines from around the world paired with delectable dishes by the city’s top chefs. From elegant appetizers to indulgent desserts, this culinary event captures the essence of Baton Rouge’s vibrant food scene in a sophisticated yet lively atmosphere.

In true Baton Rouge fashion, the multi-day Fifolet Halloween Festival brings floats, costumes and family-friendly excitement to the capital city. Highlights include a lively parade with candy and bead throws for 35,000 spectators, a costume ball, a 5K run and an arts market featuring live music and crafts for kids. With the Zombie Pub Crawl and awards for the best floats and costumes, this festival proves Halloween in Baton Rouge is a celebration like no other!

Mid City’s largest art festival featuring Louisiana’s best artists, makers and more. Kicking off the holiday shopping season, attendees are invited to revel under the white lights adorning the streets, meet local artists, enjoy live music and eat at Mid City’s exceptional restaurants.

Calling all bookworms – Louisiana’s Annual Book Festival is returning to Baton Rouge for a celebration of all things literary. This free event offers opportunities to engage with guest authors, attend thought-provoking presentations and panel discussions and even participate in WordShops—writing workshops led by accomplished writers for an in-depth learning experience. It’s the perfect event for readers, writers and literature lovers alike!

Louisiana State University’s Burden Museum & Gardens hosted Louisiana Lights for the first time ever last year, a unique and enchanting holiday light show that gracefully beckons guests to embrace the harmony of nature and the artistry of light. The multi-night event invites visitors to take an hour-long stroll through interconnected garden rooms that are exquisitely lit for the holidays, celebrating a garden where the past and present shine.

Louisiana’s first riverboat casino is undergoing a transformative $100M renovation, turning a once dormant area of downtown into a vibrant entertainment complex. The ambitious project will feature 25,000 square feet of contemporary gaming, a spacious sports lounge, casual and fine dining options, an upscale cocktail lounge and an event and meeting space. The Belle’s 10-story hotel will also undergo a down-to-the-studs renovation, debuting in March, which will transform it into a warm and welcoming boutique space that combines modern design with historic charm. A temporary landside casino will be opening in fall 2024, and the full project is anticipated to be complete by fall of this year.

New to the Perkins Overpass District, The Colonel’s Club is a blast from Baton Rouge’s past, reimagined with a $2 million renovation to bring the former speakeasy and music venue back to life as a fine dining restaurant with a Guided Age aesthetic and a menu to match. The cocktail program emphasizes 1960s trends including whiskey cocktails and tiki drinks and the wine list features between 20 and 30 wines by the glass. The Colonel’s Club is open Tuesdays – Saturdays for lunch and dinner and brunch on Sundays.