Annual Events & Festivals - Annual Events

Even though Shreveport and Bossier resemble East Texas in many respects, we continue to retain our Louisiana heritage when it comes to festivals and special events, especially Mardi Gras. Public gatherings should be festive occasions to remember the past, contemplate the future, and have a blast in the present. In this manner, festivals keep us grounded and happy. Maybe that is why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published a study that named Louisiana the happiest state in the nation.

As you will notice, the first three months of the year have us preoccupied with Mardi Gras, the season between Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday, although the term also refers to the last day of the period, Fat Tuesday. While public parades are free, attendees can catch hundreds of beads, doubloons, cups, and trinkets. Occasionally food items, like wrapped hot dogs, hamburgers, and moon pies, are hurled into the crowd. The grand balls of the various krewes, however, are not free and require a ticket and, usually, black tie attire.

Many of the festivals focus on particular ethnicities, providing a great opportunity to learn of the rich heritages represented in the region. Native American, Spanish, Scottish, French, and African American traditions are reflected throughout the year, hopefully dispelling any idea that this part of the South is culturally homogeneous. Use all your senses to experience our diversity.

Events and festivals are listed in chronological order; be sure to call or visit noted Web sites for details concerning dates, schedule of events, and costs. Nor should you consider this listing exhaustive; new events emerge on a regular basis; something that started out as a once-only fund-raiser often takes on a life of its own. In this way we just keep the party going.