Louisiana Food + Wine Festival Announces 2024 Schedule
LAKE CHARLES, La (press release) – The Louisiana Food & Wine Festival, a world-class culinary and beverage celebration, presented by Rouses Markets and hosted by Visit Lake Charles takes place in Lake Charles, Louisiana Sept. 19 – 22. The festival is a showcase of culinary, beverage, and music that highlights Louisiana’s unique culture and heritage, celebrity guest chefs, local chefs, celebrity winemakers/proprietors, artisans, farmers, musicians, local craft spirits and beers, along with renowned wine, spirits, and beer brands from around the world. A wide variety of events are available for all tastebuds and budgets, from wine dinners and tasting events, to master classes and more. According for festival organizers, the 2023 festival drew visitors from all over the U.S. and Canada – with attendees coming from every single parish throughout the state of Louisiana.
The festival was recently awarded a LOUEY award for best Festival/Event of the Year, from the Louisiana Travel Association. Participating talent and event details will be announced in May, as the festival is currently finalizing its full schedule of events. Louisiana Food & Wine Festival Extra Early Bird discount tickets are on sale now for its signature events. The United Way of Southwest Louisiana has been chosen as a festival official charity partner, with a portion of the festival’s ticket proceeds, along with 100% of the proceeds from a Wine & Whiskey Pull on Saturday, September 21, at the Grand Tasing, donated directly to the United Way of Southwest Louisiana. The festival has also established a culinary student scholarship with SOWELA Technical Community College, an official charity partner.
Schedule of Events
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
“Louisiana’s Celebrity Chef Wine Dinner” – 6:00 p.m. Reception, 7:00 p.m. Dinner, SOWELA Technical Community College, presented by Explore Louisiana and Louisiana Seafood. A gourmet food and wine lover’s experience with a six-course dinner, featuring a host of Louisiana’s most celebrated chefs, and award-winning chefs from around the country inspired by Louisiana cuisine, with each course expertly paired with the perfect wine Jackson Family Wines, the official festival wine partner.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
“Master Classes” 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., SOWELA Technical Community College
A series of interactive and intimate sessions with guest celebrity chefs, cookbook authors, beverage experts, tastemakers, artisans and more.
“Fire on the Lake” 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Bord du Lac Park, Lake Charles, LA
A quintessential Louisiana celebration of live fire cooking, overlooking beautiful the beautiful shores of Lake Charles. The event features a variety of slow-cooked, grilled, and smoked meats, Louisiana Seafood and vegetarian creations from some of the south’s most celebrated Pitmasters, chefs and grill masters. Enjoy unlimited tasting bites, wine, beer, and spirits tastings with a souvenir glass. Lively zydeco music from Horace Trahan and the Ossun Express will keep everybody up on their feet, doing the Cajun two-step and the zydeco cha-cha.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
“Louisiana Food & Wine Festival, Grand Tasting” 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Bord du Lac Park, Lake Charles, LA. A fun afternoon of culinary and beverage tastings, with live music in the beautiful surroundings of the Bord du Lac Park. Tickets are all-inclusive for food and beverage tastings, including a souvenir glass for unlimited beverage tastings from hundreds of wines, beer and spirits exhibitors, Rouses Markets Cooking Demonstration Stage and a “Taste of Louisiana Alley” with samplings from some of Louisiana’s best chefs from regions around the entire state, sponsored by Visit Louisiana and Louisiana Seafood. “Louisiana’s Crafts Brews Alley”, sponsored by Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild showcases breweries from around Louisiana, with fun and lively music from the Flamethrowers.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2024
“Sunday Jazz Brunch” 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., location TBD
This signature Jazz Brunch is one like no other, with an all-inclusive priced ticket featuring unlimited beverage tastings with a souvenir glass, live music, a lavish brunch with carving stations, salad bars, Louisiana Seafood stations, made-to-order omelet stations, variety of desserts and more. A variety of the festival’s official beverage partners will participate with an impressive Bloody Mary Bar, Mimosas, sparkling wines, sprits, wine, and beer and more. A fantastic festival finale event!
SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2024
“Festival Happenings Week”
A variety of tastings, dinners and events taking place in partner restaurants, bars and more throughout Lake Charles during the week of the festival will be announced in July 2024.
The Louisiana Food & Wine Festival takes place September 19 – 22, 2024 with culinary, wine, beer, and spirit tasting experiences. The most up to date festival information is available on the website, Louisiana Food & Wine Festival and the festival’s social media channels Facebook and Instagram.
