Natchitoches’ 97th annual Christmas season begins this Saturday

The 97th Annual Natchitoches Christmas Season will begin on Saturday, November 18, 2023 and run through January 6, 2024.

Since 1927, this historic city in the northwestern part of Louisiana has been home to one of the oldest community holiday celebrations in the country.

The Natchitoches Christmas Festival began as a one-day festival and has evolved into a six-week Christmas season. More than 300,000 lights and more than 100 set pieces are on display each night at dusk.

Of course, there is a lot to do. Almost every night during the Christmas season there are celebrations on the riverbank in the city centre.

To view the entire schedule, visit www.natchitocheschristmas.com/schedule.

The match, as previously mentioned, will kick off on Saturday 18 November. The schedule is as follows:

*Admission to Downtown Riverside is $10 after 1 p.m. Ages 6 and under are free.
10:00 AM – 9:00 PM – Children’s Holiday Festival on the riverfront downtown
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM – Cookies with Santa ($)
4:00pm – 7:00pm – Holiday Open House – Historic District Business Association stores open late
4:30pm – 9:00pm – “Turn on the Vacations!” -The official start of the Christmas season in Natchitoches. This event features musical entertainment and fireworks
7:00 PM – Fireworks over the Cane River Lagoon

Music on the riverside stage

4:30pm – Kelly Roberts Band
7:15 PM – Louisiana Red

The first holiday event over the six weeks of events is the Christmas Festival. This all-day festival is filled with music, entertainment, arts and crafts, food vendors, and the famous fireworks show choreographed to holiday music over Cane River Lake.

This is Saturday, December 2nd, and the schedule is as follows:

*Festival Area – $10 admission begins at 6:00 AM. Ages 6 and under are free.
7:00 AM – 7:00 PM – Mistletoe Market (City Bank parking on Second Street)
1pm – Parade of Lights Festival
6:00 PM – Fireworks over the Cane River Lagoon

Music on the riverside stage

2:30 PM – Pete and Paul Band
5:00pm – Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs

Christmas in the Park is also located just a five-minute drive from the city centre. It’s a family-friendly environment with over two hundred and fifty thousand LED lights and decorations, delicious holiday gifts, nightly Christmas character meet and greets, Christmas trees serenaded by the Mistletones, and much more.

Visit their website for more information: www.christmasintheparkla.com.

For complete information regarding Natchitoches Christmas, visit their website here or follow them on Facebook.