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Louisiana Christmas Events 2026: Lights, Bonfires and Markets

Written by the USA Fest Bot team with AI help · Published

A walkway under an arching tunnel of white and colored lights at night in New Orleans City Park
The Tunnel of Light at Celebration in the Oaks, City Park, New Orleans. Photo: Bart Everson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped.

Christmas in Louisiana means oak trees wrapped in lights, bonfires on the Mississippi River levee and a festival of lights in Natchitoches that turns 100 this year. This guide lists 42 Christmas events across the state for the 2026 season, from New Orleans and the River Parishes to Shreveport, Lake Charles and bayou country. Every date was checked against the event’s own website. Events are grouped by region and sorted by date, and each one links to its USA Fest Bot listing and its official site. Start with the six biggest below, then browse by region to find something close to home.

Dates can change, so check the event’s website before you go. USA Fest Bot does not sell tickets.

The six biggest and longest-running

New Orleans and the River Parishes

Celebration in the Oaks lights up City Park from Thanksgiving weekend to New Year’s Day, and NOLA ChristmasFest carries the season to January 2. Upriver, Destrehan Plantation has a light show, and Lutcher’s Festival of the Bonfires lights fires on the levee.

A tall wooden bonfire structure burning at night on a grassy Mississippi River levee
A Christmas Eve bonfire on the Mississippi River levee, photographed for the U.S. National Archives (DOCUMERICA, 1970s) (not an event in this guide). Photo: John Messina / U.S. National Archives, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, cropped.

Baton Rouge, Acadiana and the Florida Parishes

The capital region has the most events in this guide. Zoo Lights and Louisiana Lights both run from November 27 to December 30. December 5 is downtown’s Festival of Lights, and the weekends after bring markets in Gonzales and Denham Springs and history days at Magnolia Mound and the Rural Life Museum.

Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana

Lake Charles keeps a season-long Cajun Christmas running from November 28 to December 25. That opens the same day as Light Up the Lake, and the Junior League’s Mistletoe & Moss market comes the week before.

Shreveport-Bossier and North Louisiana

The Natchitoches Christmas Festival is the state’s best-known holiday tradition and the longest season here, from November 21 to January 6. Shreveport has an indoor light walk at the aquarium and a ballet market, Alexandria has a three-day winter festival, and Monroe has a one-night garden stroll.

Strings of colored Christmas lights reflected in the Cane River at night in Natchitoches
Christmas lights along the Cane River in Natchitoches, 2021. Photo: Wikilester 3, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.

Houma-Thibodaux and Bayou Country

Morgan City fills three dates with a market, a festival and a parade. Houma has a one-day shopping stroll and a Victorian Christmas at Residence Plantation.

Before you go

Plan around the busy weekends

December 5 and the weekend of December 11–13 are the busiest dates in this guide, so book early for those.

Select nights and tickets

Some events run only on certain nights, not every night in a range. BELIEVE! Lights the Night is open December 5, 11, 12 and 18–22, and Slidell’s Christmas Under the Stars is open December 11–12 and 18–19.

Free events

Official pages list free admission for the Plaquemines Christmas Festival, the Holly Jolly Stroll, Christmas Under the Stars, the Nutcracker Market, Santa in the Senate and the O.L.P.H. Holiday Market.

November events

Several markets on this list open in November. For everything else happening that month, see our Louisiana events in November 2026 guide. You can also browse holiday lights, Christmas events and Christmas markets across the country.

Quick answers

When does the Natchitoches Christmas Festival start in 2026?

The lights season runs from November 21, 2026, to January 6, 2027. The lights come on every night at dusk, and Saturdays add live music, kids’ activities and fireworks.

When is the Festival of the Bonfires in 2026?

December 11–13, 2026, at Lutcher Recreational Park. The levee bonfire is lit Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday’s bonfire and fireworks start at 8 p.m.

When is Celebration in the Oaks in 2026?

November 27, 2026, to January 1, 2027, in New Orleans City Park. Buy tickets from the City Park website.

Which Louisiana Christmas events run past New Year’s?

Natchitoches runs to January 6, 2027, and NOLA ChristmasFest runs December 23, 2026, to January 2, 2027. Celebration in the Oaks closes January 1.

Looking for more? See all Louisiana events or what’s on in Louisiana this weekend.

USA Fest Bot is not affiliated with any event in this guide and does not sell tickets. Found a date that has changed? Send a correction.