Around The State

Who's Competing at the 2026 Louisiana Food & Wine Festival?

LAKE CHARLES – The 2026 Louisiana Food & Wine Festival, hosted by Visit Lake Charles, takes place March 12 – 15 in Lake Charles. The four-day event schedule offers a range of tastings, live cooking expositions, music and more. Additionally, the festival…

Tulane's Fifth Annual New Orleans Book Festival

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The Fifth Annual New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University returns March 12-15 with four days of free public programming. Tulane welcomes readers from across the country.  The festival will feature more than 100 sessions and over 250 authors, artists and…

Lively Phantom Haunts the Saenger Theatre

An excited crowd of theater-going denizens stormed the Saenger Theatre for the opening night of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s "Phantom of the Opera," many returning to experience the internationally renowned 19th-century paranormal love triangle. Lines to enter the show were exceptionally…

Gov. Jeff Landry Will Present The Distinguished Flying Cross

BATON ROUGE (press release) — Governor Jeff Landry will present the Distinguished Flying Cross to Technical Sergeant Adam Brister, a former member of the Alaska Air National Guard, during a ceremony at the Louisiana House Chamber on March 9 at…

2025 LWF Conservation Achievement Award Winners Announced

BATON ROUGE (press release) – The Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF) announced the recipients of the 60th Annual LWF Conservation Achievement Awards, honoring individuals and organizations whose work in 2025 significantly advanced conservation and environmental stewardship across the state. Established in…

Did Mardi Gras 2026 Have More Visitors than 2025?

NEW ORLEANS – "Mardi Gras 2026 was a resounding success, marked by huge joyful crowds, beautiful weather and strong regional visitation, as well as guests from around the nation and the world," said New Orleans & Company CEO and President…

Upcoming March Events in Ruston

RUSTON, La – The official start to spring aligns with the spring equinox, which falls on March 20 this year. However, according to the BBC, there is a "meteorological spring," which, in the weather world, is considered March 1. Regardless…

Brenna Huckaby Will Represent Baton Rouge in 2026 Paralympics

Brenna Huckaby, a three-time gold medalist, will represent her hometown of Baton Rouge in the upcoming 2026 Winter Paralympics on the USA Snowboarding Team. Coinciding with the 2026 Winter Olympics, this year's Winter Paralympics takes place in Milano Cortina, Italy,…

Broadway's "The Lion King" Will Return to New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, La (press release) – Disney’s "The Lion King" will return to New Orleans at the Saenger Theatre for the first time since Nov. 2022. This three-week return engagement at the Saenger begins Wednesday, Oct. 21, and plays through…

Jazzy R&B Duo Acute Inflections Comes to New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The New York City-based Jazzy R&B duo Acute Inflections brings Soulful Sounds, an intimate live music and comedy performance, to New Orleans on Sunday, Feb. 22. Known for blending soulful vocals, upright bass, storytelling and…

Shreveport Visual Arts Professor Featured at LSMSA Art Gallery

NATCHITOCHES, La (press release) – Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts (LSMSA) announced that Louisiana artist Joshua Chambers is the first exhibition of 2026, on display through Feb. 26 in the Sharon Turcan Gahagan Art Gallery. Chambers, a…

Vintage Market Days Comes to Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, La – Vintage Market Days of Southwest Louisiana will host a two-day Market by the River event at the Randolph Riverfront Center in Alexandria. Vintage Market Days is a vintage-inspired market featuring original art, antiques, clothing, jewelry, handmade treasures,…

May the Fourth Star Wars Festival Will Return to Houma

HOUMA, La (press release) – Louisiana's Star Wars festival, May the Fourth, will return this May in Downtown Houma. The full-day festival will blend Star Wars fandom, Louisiana culture and live music for community impact on Saturday, May 2, from…

New Southern Palette: Food & Drink Festival in Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE (press release) – Baton Rouge will welcome a new culinary festival as Southern Palette: Food & Drink Experience debuts, bringing together award-winning chefs, innovative mixologists and curated wines for a celebration of Southern food culture. Presented by the…

New Emeril’s Chop House to Open at L’Auberge Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge, La (press release) – Emeril’s Chop House, a new restaurant by Chef Emeril Lagasse, will open in partnership with L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge in 2026. Organizers share that Lagasse, a celebrity Chef and New Orleans legend, will…

Louisiana King Cake Festival Canceled Until 2027

THIBODAUX, La – On Tuesday, Jan. 27, the Louisiana King Cake Festival announced its cancellation of the 2026 event. On Facebook, organizers wrote, "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the cancellation…

Louisiana Travel Association 2026 Louey Awards

LAFAYETTE, La (press release) – The Louisiana Travel Association (LTA) presented the 2026 Louey Awards during its annual meeting on Jan. 22 in Lafayette, bringing together tourism leaders from across the state to recognize excellence in destination marketing, attractions and industry leadership.…