Folks in Louisiana will find a reason to celebrate just about anything, especially when it comes to the great outdoors. There’s a festival for just about every kind of outdoor adventure on land, in the water, and even in the air. Whether you love the laid back scenes of nature or the exciting thrill of sports, you’ll want to add these 10 best outdoor festivals in Louisiana to your social calendar.
This riveting race only happens once a year and spans the entire 135-mile length of the Bayou Teche. Canoes, kayaks, SUPs, and pirogues will fill the water to complete a series of races over three days. Each stop in the race features an evening festival full of local culture, flavors, and music. All ages and experience levels are welcome to compete. The race begins on the first Friday of October each year. This wonderful event is backed by the Teche Project, United States Canoe Association, the Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel, and the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau.
This unique birding festival is unlike any other. It started as a joint effort between farmers and birders to provide the best view opportunities for the area’s Yellow Rails while also bringing attention to the value of the area’s wetlands. Field trips to nearby birding areas, banding workshops, and tours of the rice mill are major highlights of this annual festival. Avian Events Support Team is responsible for putting this event on.
This one-of-a-kind event is easy to participate in: grab a boat, float, SUP, canoe, kayak, tube, or whatever you fancy and enjoy a day floating across the water. You never need a reason to enjoy a day on the lake, but this is the event where you can float along with hundreds of your fellow water-loving friends. Highlights of the event include a decorated boat parade and contest, poker run, live music, food, and games. You won’t want to miss this fun event presented by Bayou Daiquiri.
Every year since 2000, the Abita Springs community pays homage to the most amazing bike creations you’ve ever seen. Festival attendees can come see, bring, or even ride custom-made bikes or vintage varieties. Food and live music are festival staples, as well as group rides and a bicycle flea market where you can find the perfect bike to take home with you. Sponsored by Abita Beer as well as the Abita Mystery House, it’s an amazing sight, to say the least. Prepare to be surprised that some of these creations are bicycles at all!
The U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Competition is happening in Shreveport this year, giving visitors a chance to experience the great outdoors from a completely different perspective. This is your chance to take a hot air balloon ride and see nature from on high, and perhaps find places you never knew existed. There’s lots for kids to do, as well as food, vendors, and an evening balloon glow and fireworks show. The fun is happening on the LSUS campus July 13-14. This balloon rally is put together with a collection of sponsors including the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission, TraveHost, Mountain Spring Water, Surfari Pals, and many more.
Held in the Duck Capital of the United States, the Duck Festival is the event of the year for duck hunters. The festival highlights the hunting heritage of the region and is chock full of entertainment: decoy carving, dog trials, duck dashes, skeet shooting, and duck and goose calling contests, for starters. This four-day event starts September 20, and includes sponsorships and help from Ray Chevrolet, Doug Sonnier of Doug’s Hunting Lodge, G & H Seed Co., Louisiana Fish Fry, and plenty others.
This highly-anticipated wooden boat festival has a lot to offer. Whether you own a boat or simply enjoy being near the water, you’ll enjoy the Mardi Gras-esque boat building contest that gives teams just 14 hours to build a water-worthy craft using only the materials provided. There’s also a kid’s boat building contest, carnival games, boat parade, inflatables, plenty of food and drink to go around, and a massive marina party.
This colorful event takes visitors on a journey through one of the biggest trail of sunflowers you’ve ever seen. It’s not your typical hike through the woods, but rather a much sunnier walk along a seemingly endless trail of sunflowers and wildflowers in full bloom. Hosted by the Red River Crossroads Historical and Cultural Association, the festival will include food vendors from Main Street Restaurant, the Wild Petunia, and Adger’s Store, along with local music groups, a photography contest, kiddie arts and crafts, craft vendors, and the exciting Sunflower Trail Treasure Hunt.
Known as Louisiana’s “oldest and coldest” festival, this winter event is the most anticipated event for hunters and wildlife aficionados. Sponsored by the Louisiana Fur Advisory Council, there will be skinning contests, dog trials, duck callings, trap shootings, and oyster shuckings are just a few of the highlights visitors anticipate each year. If hunting isn’t your thing, there’s still plenty of reason to go: live music, a 5K, gumbo cookoff, and pageant complete the experience.
This saltwater fishing rodeo is doling out trophies to the biggest catches of the day. But even if fishing isn’t your thing, you can enjoy the free fais-do-do (Cajun dance party) to celebrate a successful event. Hosted by the Iberia Rod and Gun Club, this one-day festival is a great way to celebrate your love of fishing—and maybe even win a little something. Supporters of this event include Streamline Industries, Quail Tools, Metal Shark, Gator Repair Service, LLC, and many more.
Alli Hill is a freelance content writer and mom of two. She spends most of her free time exploring the great outdoors by trail or by kayak. She is also the founder and director of FreelanceSpeak, a blog to support other freelance creatives.
