Shreveport’s Chicken and Blues Fest, Hammond Airshow and more
Shreveport's Chicken and Blues Fest
The first annual Chicken and Blues Festival (October 4) features iconic Southern chicken dishes by celebrated chefs and a musical lineup that includes gospel soul singer Jamal Roberts, the dynamic hip-hop, bounce and street soul diva, Sweet Nay, and the high-energy Windstorm party band doing a special tribute to B.B. King. Frontman/founder “Uncle Ron” Johnson is receiving the Music Icon Award. Celebrated Afro-Fusion Chef Niema DiGrazia, who defeated Bobby Flay on the Food Network in May, earns the Culinary Icon Award. BB Wingz (the official costumed mascot) hits the stage for an electrifying performance, feathers flying.
Hammond | Look to the Sky
The Hammond Northshore Regional Airshow (October 11–12) is soaring back into Tangipahoa Parish with the theme (and 2025 poster)“Bayou Skies” featuring helicopter rides and one of the nation’s top shows, the Titan Aerobatic Team, as headliner. Franklin’s Flying Circus (featuring husband-and-wife-team, Kyle and Liz Franklin) brings a hilarious, jaw-dropping comedy act, the Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team performs precision aerial maneuverers and the Misty Blues All Women Skydiving Team demonstrates their amazing skydiving formations.
Driving for the Arts
A new Louisiana specialty license plate (inscribed with “Laissez les Arts Roulez!”), created in support of the arts, is valid for life and can be transferred between vehicles. Available statewide, the colorful new plate by Lafayette-based graphic artist, Denise Gallagher, is the culmination of a two-year process by the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts (LPA). Proceeds from each plate will benefit LPA and its statewide initiatives.
St. Francisville | Percy’s Last Laugh
Fans of Southern literature are gathering in St. Francisville’s historic district for the tenth, and likely final, Walker Percy Festival (September 19-20). Themed “The Last Laugh,” the popular fest features presentations by renowned scholars, panel discussions, book club events, a Saturday Night Bourbon Stroll and Taste of Louisiana Dinner inspired by Percy’s wit and works.
Baton Rouge | Slated for a Splashy Return
The Louisiana-based Leisure Sports (operators of Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport, Mississippi) announced that off-season preparations are underway for the transformation of the beloved Baton Rouge family destination, Blue Bayou Waterpark (closed earlier this year). It is being rebranded as part of the company’s Soak n’ Fun experience, with a grand opening slated for May 2026.
