Featured photo: The 610 Stompers, a 100-man dance troupe from New Orleans, are headed to Natchitoches on Saturday, Dec. 3. Photo courtesy of the 610 Stompers.
Each year, the five destinations that make up the Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights collaborate to promote holiday happenings throughout North Louisiana. Events promoted as part of the trail can range from Christmas festivals and holiday marketplaces to historic home tours and more. The 2016 Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights has more than the usual allotment of unusual, unexpected and surprising events. Here are a few of my favorites:
New Orleans’ 610 Stompers Headed for Natchitoches
How this is not more of a headline is beyond me, but the 90th Annual Natchitoches Christmas Festival Parade set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 will be led by a 100-man, all-male marching dance troupe from New Orleans called the 610 Stompers. Their shows can be…a little ridiculous.
The parade will be held on Front Street and along the Natchitoches riverfront. Admission to the Front Street area on Dec. 3 is $10 for ages 12 and older, free for children under 12.
Here’s a taste of the mustachioed madness that is a 610 Stompers performance:
Remote Controlled Monster Truck Night at Christmas in Roseland
Have you ever found yourself in attendance at Christmas in Roseland at the Gardens of the American Rose Center, just wishing that you could have brought your remote controlled monster truck? Well, you’re in luck: On Saturday, Dec. 17, 6-9 p.m., Christmas in Roseland will host a remote controlled monster truck meet-up. From the official press release: “Children are encouraged to bring their favorite remote control rock crawler or monster truck to drive around the gardens.”
Admission is $5 per person or $20 per car load. Ages 2 and younger are free. Cash only. There is no extra charge to drive your awesome, remote controlled Gravedigger around the largest garden in the United States dedicated to roses.
Shreveport’s Riverview Park to Host Outdoor Laser Light Show
Shreveport Spirit of the Season’s Red River Laser Light Show Presented by SWEPCO, in addition to having one of the longest names of any event this holiday season, is also poised to be kind of amazing. Riverview Park, an outdoor amphitheater-style park located on the banks of the Red River in downtown Shreveport, will host an outdoor laser show on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 10. The event will begin at 4 p.m. with laser light shows scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. There will also be visits with Santa, hands-on activities presented by Sci-Port Discovery Center, and lots of local food and art vendors, in addition to the brand new, 50-foot-tall Christmas tree in Riverview Park.
Admission is free. Riverview Park is located at 601 Clyde Fant Parkway in downtown Shreveport. The official Facebook event is here. The fun is all made possible by the City of Shreveport.
If you’re looking for lots more information on the Louisiana Holiday Trail of Lights, including a complete calendar of events, visit the official website.
If you’d like to enter to win a holiday getaway to Shreveport-Bossier, including a one-night stay at 2439 Fairfield: A Bed & Breakfast, sign up here.
