Louisiana: January/February/March - April - May - June/July - August - September - OCTOBER - November - December Check previous year if event is not yet updated to current year 2024 LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 2024 Food & Wine Festivals, Shows & Local Events (see also: 2023 - 2019 - 2018 - 2016)
October 4-6, 2024 Louisiana Cattle Festival & Fair - Abbeville, Louisiana Originally known as the Dairy Festival, the name was changed in 1979 to honor all the Cattle Industry of the state. Great musical line-up. October 5-6, 2024 7th Annual National Fried Chicken Festival New Orleans, Louisiana The National Fried Chicken Festival (FCF) presented by Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers. While there is no shortage of new activations and experiences coming to the annual event, Fried Chicken Festival attendees can expect everything they've come to know and love, including live music, cooking demonstrations and a stacked lineup of restaurants showcasing their best versions of fried chicken. FCF will also continue its traditions of the Best Fried Chicken Contest, Best Use of Chicken in a Dish Contest, and honoring a New Orleans culinary icon. Attendance: 123,000. October 10-12, 2024 48th Annual Zwolle Tamale Fiesta Zwolle, Louisiana The Zwolle Tamale Fiesta celebrates the rich Spanish and Indian heritage of the people of the town. Held each year at the Zwolle Festival Grounds, the Zwolle Tamale Fiesta offers a fun-filled weekend of reliving the area's heritage with plenty of delicious hot tamales, entertainment, arts and crafts, dancing, parades, and children's activities. Always held the second full weekend in October, the Fiesta is fun for the entire family.
October 11-13, 2024 Annual Louisiana Gumbo Festival Chackbay Choupic Fair Grounds, Louisiana A family festival held every third full weekend of October in Chackbay, the "Gumbo Capital of Louisiana". October 11-13, 2024 Bridge City Gumbo Festival Bridge City, Louisiana Bridge City's "world famous" Gumbo is cooked daily at the festival grounds and over 2,000 gallons of both seafood and chicken/sausage gumbo will be prepared for our visitors during the festival. A variety of other native Louisiana cooking such as jambalaya, New Orleans style red beans and rice with sausage as well as hamburgers, hot dogs, onion mums, homemade cakes and candies, funnel cakes and many delicious surprises will also be available. October 11-13, 2024 Festivals Acadiens et Creoles Lafayette, Louisiana Festivals Acadiens et Creoles started in 1972 as an effort to keep Cajun culture alive. Since then it has grown into a three day event that attracts people of many different nationalities from all over the world. Whether you're amongst the young or the young at heart, you can bet that Festivals Acadiens has something that will tickle your fancy. Come join us for good music, good food, and good times! October 12-13, 2024 34th Annual World Championship Gumbo Cook-Off - New Iberia, Louisiana Family oriented food festival in historic downtown New Iberia. Music all weekend. Taking over historical downtown Main Street, the two-day event features the coming together of locals and visitors to celebrate Cajun cuisine and music. The main event happens Sunday with 100 teams competing to call themselves ‘champions” with the best gumbo in the world. Teams are divided between professional and amateur and are required to cook a minimum of 60 quarts. Visitors can try as many types of gumbos as their hearts desire. Saturday is fondly dubbed "Cajun Creole Foodfest” with teams cooking their favorite Cajun and Creole dishes for lunch, including two mini-competitions taking place – Meanest Beans and Youth Gumbo Cook-off throughout the day. Attendance: 20,000. October 14-18, 2024 - National School Lunch Week - Nationwide School Nutrition Association. October 17-20, 2024 87th Annual International Rice Festival Crowley, Louisiana The International Rice Festival held annually in Crowley is one of Louisiana's largest and also it's oldest Agricultural festival held. Since it's first festival on October 5th, 1937, over 7 million people have attended the annual event. October 18-20, 2024 49th Annual Andouille Festival LaPlace, Louisiana Thomas F. Daley Memorial Park. The St. John the Baptist Parish Andouille Festival will feature music, good times and of course great food featuring Andouille, the delectable sausage for which the festival was named. Every year thousands of people merge upon the festival grounds for fun filled weekend, highlighted by cooking contest in which contestants prepared their recipes using andouille in three categories: gumbos, jambalayas, and miscellaneous dishes. October 24, 2024 Top Taco - Matairie, Louisiana A Culinary Extravaganza where patrons can sample Unlimited Gourmet Tacos and Signature Cocktails from some of the finest restaurants in New Orleans. October 25-26, 2024 18th South Louisiana Blackpot Festival & Cookoff Lafayette, Louisiana The Cookoff takes place Saturday afternoon. Visit each chef's outdoor kitchen and sample their creations! Anyone can enter from Amateur to Professional for a chance at prizes and bragging rights. Categories include Gravy, Gumbo, Cracklins, Jambalaya, Dessert. October 26, 2024 Tailgating Cook-Off - Loreauville, Louisiana A family fun day with live music, cooking competition, cornhole tournament, arts and craft vendors and fun jumps for the kids. Come out and sample the best tailgating food around and watch a great game of cornhole. October 27, 2024 Annual Oak Street Po-boy Festival New Orleans, Louisiana Featuring over 50 food vendors serving the best-tasting po-boys in New Orleans, two stages with live music, panel discussions covering the history of the po-boy and the Oak Street corridor, and an expanded Kid's World. The Oak Street Po-Boy Festival (formerly the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival) was named the Best Food Festival by Gambit readers for the third year in a row! Thank you to everyone who voted for us, and we can't wait to see you at this year's Festival! Attendance: 50,000. October 28-31, 2024 26th Annual American Indian Tourism Conference Marksville, Louisiana The American Indian Tourism Conference is designed to share knowledge, experience and best practices from tourism programs around the United States. The conference will feature mobile workshops, exhibits, networking events and informational sessions with national speakers. October 30-November 2, 2024 Yellow Rails & Rice Festival Jennings, Louisiana Designed with fun in mind, its primary goal is to provide participants a unique venue to view Yellow Rails while at the same time bringing birders and farmers together to realize the value to birds of the area’s “working wetlands.” October 30-Nov 17, 2024 118th Edition of the State Fair of Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana Livestock exhibits and competitions, carnival, entertainment, Ag Magic area, competitive exhibits, rodeo, cooking contests, and much more! 2023 LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 2023 Food & Wine Festivals, Shows & Local Events waiting for new datesOctober 21, 2023 Boudin Cookoff & Acadiana Bacon Fest Lafayette, Louisiana Sample varieties of boudin from up to 25 of the region's top boudin sausage making masters. Family Friendly Fun and Food for ALL - Free fun jumps, face painting, and games for the kids; free ice cream sandwiches from Blue Bell Creamery; Live local music; Boudin Eating Contest!; Creative cooking; Sample unique local culinary creations from some of the best meat shops around. October 28, 2023 Chili Cookoff on the River - Gretna, Louisiana The event offers great music, camaraderie, good eats and drinks, a Kids Korner to entertain the children at very affordable prices! There’s even a Chili Poker Run. Food, beer, and wine will be offered for sale plus a kids korner for the little ones. 2019 LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 2019 Food & Wine Festivals, Shows & Local Events waiting for new datesOctober 1, 2019 - James Beard Foundation's Taste America New Orleans, Louisiana James Beard Foundation’s Taste America national epicurean tour, featuring one-night-only collaborative dinners. Enjoy a unique, one-night only menu created by a Taste America All-Star joined by an elite team of notable local chefs. These exclusive dining events are perfect for the food enthusiast, as well as offering ideal entertaining opportunities for executives, clients, media, and VIPs. See website for ticket prices and details for each city. October 25-27, 2019 46th Annual French Food Festival Larose, Louisiana Free Parking & No Gate Fee. The best in Cajun food, music & dancing. Carnival mid-way & live auction. Art show, Cajun market, petting zoo & Mid-South Pro Tour Bull Riding. Contests of all kinds: Fun Walk/Race, cake decorating contest, art contest, 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Over 40 booths of fun! Overnight camping available with advanced reservations. October 26-27, 2019 46th Annual Old Farmers Day Loranger, Louisiana A reenactment of the methods our forefathers used to live, work, and enjoy life. OFD is sponsored by the Loranger FFA with the community coming together to help with the various activities along with the Brunett family. The FFA raffles off a Belgian colt given away during the horse pulling contest on Sunday. There will be contests for kids; Saturday only: farriers contests and teamsters contests; and Sunday only at 1:00pm - 3:00pm a horse and mule pulling contest, with three classes at 1:00 - 3:00. Reenactments include wagon train parade and rides; hog butchering and cooking; all types of field work done with Belgian draft horses and mules; sheep shearing, blacksmith shop; sugar cane grinding and syrup cooking; cooking biscuits, etc. on wood stoves; old timey working kitchen and smoke house; petting zoo with baby animals; antiques/crafts, spinning wheel & weaving, quilt making; all types of food - old timey and modern, and much more. October 27, 2018 Taste of Louisiana Oak Mountain State Park, Louisiana Louisiana State University Alumni Chapter. This event will be at the White Oak Pavilion of Oak Mountain State Park. (also: www.lsubirmingham.org/events ) 2018 LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 2018 Food & Wine Festivals, Shows & Local Events waiting for new datesOctober 26-28, 2018 - Louisiana Seafood Festival New Orleans, Louisiana The seafood festival is ON HIATUS FOR 2018. October 27, 2018 - Bayou Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival Gonzales, Louisiana Food Truck Festivals of America 2016 LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 2016 Food & Wine Festivals, Shows & Local Events waiting for new datesOctober 19-23, 2016 Louisiana Yambilee Festival Opelousas, Louisiana FESTIVAL DISCONTINUED. |