What is the Festival of the Bonfires? Plus The Full Schedule

3 hours ago

Alyssa Schiaffino,

Bonfires On The Levee 2017 — Photo from Louisiana's River Parishes website

LUTCHER, La – The 36th Annual Festival of the Bonfires began at 2 p.m. today, Dec. 12, and runs until Sunday, Dec. 14, at Lutcher Recreational Park.

Below is the full schedule for this weekend.

But first, let’s dive into the history of this iconic festival that brings the River Parishes of St. Charles, St. James and St. John the Baptist together.

What is the Festival of the Bonfires?

According to its website, the Festival of the Bonfires is where people “enjoy great food, live entertainment, crafts, Santa’s Very Merry Forest and carnival rides throughout the weekend.” It is “a tradition unique to St. James Parish and all the world.”

But when you ask the organizers behind the fest, you realize it means so much more. This unique tradition runs much deeper than carnival rides and gumbo.

Camella St. Pierre Landry, founder of the Festival of the Bonfires, vice chairwoman of the River Parishes Tourist Commission and economic development chairwoman of St. James Parish, started the first festival with her dad in 1990.

The goal was to expand upon the beloved tradition of the bonfires on the levee, which happen every Christmas Eve in the River Parishes.

“We decided we wanted to do this for the community,” said Landry. She, along with her dad, started a committee six months before December 1990, deciding to hold the celebration the second weekend of December.

Landry shares that the festival first began in multiple areas along the levee before combining into what it is today. However, it always included a bonfire, so those who couldn’t attend the Christmas Eve Bonfires were still able to participate in the longstanding tradition.

What are the Christmas Eve Bonfires on the levee?

Landry shares that back in the 1800s, people would walk to church for Christmas Eve midnight mass, and bonfires were lit along the levee so they could see. For children, the bonfires were how Papa Noel found his way to deliver gifts.

From its humble beginnings, the bonfires developed into an important, community-focused event that people partake in every year.

It’s a tradition so important that Landry and her dad saw the need for a weekend-long festival to celebrate the bonfires and help everyone feel included.

“The Festival of the Bonfires impacts our community tremendously,” said Denise Burrell, executive director of the River Parishes Tourist Commission. “We welcome visitors across our great state of Louisiana and also internationally,” said Burrell.

“The resident participation seems to grow more and more each year,” said St. James Parish President Pete Dufresne.

Jamie Vicknair, the director of the Festival of the Bonfires, shared that planning for the fest happens in January. “It’s all local volunteers that participate. We have about 25 of us that plan all of the events,” said Vicknair.

And now the history and planning come together this weekend for the 36th celebration of bonfires, music, fun, food and rides–but most importantly, for community.