Events

Beginning August 26th

don't miss the Langenstein's Food Fest, where there will be free samples, tastings, coupons, and recipes from over thirty brands. Every participant at the show has a chance to win door prizes, including spa days, restaurant certificates, and much more—and one lucky winner will leave with a $500 grocery gift card. 10 am–5 pm. $8; children younger than twelve are free. jaaspro.com. •

AUG 26 th - AUG 28 th

Get Outside

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

NATURE WEEKEND

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Tara Wildlife Conference Center in Vicksburg welcomes outdoorsmen of every sort to a weekend celebrating Mississippi's great outdoors. Day passes ($138 for adults, $50 for children) allow for a Saturday spent mountain biking, kayaking, river romping, and birding. Weekend or overnight packages include lodging and food as well. Visit msriverweekend.com for more information. •

Juban's is continuing their Chef & Somm Series with an interactive five- course live cooking demonstration led by Chef Chris Motto, accompanied by fine wine pairings. 6:30 pm. $125. bontempstix.com. •

AUG 29th

ART ACADEMIA DECORATIVE ARTS LECTURE

BY DR. LAUREN CROSS

Baton

Rouge, Louisiana

As part of the LSU Museum of Art's Decorative Arts Lecture Series, Dr. Lauren Cross, the Gail-Oxford Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California will present a discussion on the subject of "Reclaiming African American Traditions in the Decorative Arts". 6 pm. Free. lsumoa.org. •

AUG 30th

KID STUFF

"CONFIDENT KIDZ: BOOSTING SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH PLAY" AT MONCUS PARK

Lafayette, Louisiana

The Confidence Campaign of Acadiana's Confident Kidz program sets up a transformative journey of self-discovery guised as good old-fashioned fun, all at Moncus Park. Held on the last Wednesday of the month, each session will focus on a different area of kids' development. This month, kids will learn how to use dish soap and water to make bubbles, while engaging in thoughtful conversations about embracing differences with kindness. 11 am–noon at the Play Area. Free. moncuspark.org. •

AUG 31st - SEP 4th

AS LOUISIANA AS IT GETS

SHRIMP AND PETROLEUM FESTIVAL

Morgan City, Louisiana

Booth after booth after booth of festival food is the calling card of the long-running Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, which has returned to Morgan City every summertime for over eighty years. Famous for its historic Blessing of the Fleet and boat parade, which features decorated shrimp boats, pleasure crafts, offshore supply boats, and some of the biggest "muscle" boats of the offshore industry, this festival has been rated a top 20 Southeast Tourism Society event. Time magazine described the festival as "...the best, the most unusual, the most downhome, the most moving and the most fun that the country has to offer." This five-day crustacean celebration is one of Louisiana's oldest harvest festivals, and with loads of events, there is something for everyone. The entertainment includes continuous live music by local and national acts, an arts & crafts show and sale, a children's village, fireworks, a car show, bass & softball tournaments, the huge Cajun Culinary Classic cooking contest, and lots more. Event locations vary, with most of the action centered around downtown Morgan City's Lawrence Park. Free. shrimpandpetroleum.org. •

AUG 31st - SEP 4th FLAMBOYANT FESTIVITIES SOUTHERN DECADENCE

New Orleans, Louisiana

Back in 1972, friends living in a cottage in Tremé threw together a small "Come As Your Favorite Southern Decadent" party and impromptu parade, and through the years that intimate fête has mushroomed into a full-blown carnival, featuring a parade and all sorts of flamboyant (and risqué) festivities. Since the early eighties, Southern Decadence has evolved to become New Orleans's "Gay Mardi Gras," celebrating the South's LGBTQ+ communities with live music from local musicians and DJs, street dancing, costume contests, and so on. It all leads up to the annual Southern Decadence Parade on Sunday, which gathers steam from Royal Street's Golden Lantern (at Barracks). Recent iterations have attracted more than 100,000 visitors to the French Quarter over the Labor Day weekend. Full details at southerndecadence.com. •

For our full list of August events, including those we couldn’t fit in print, point your phone camera here.