Welcome to spring festival season on The Northshore, with fantastic Louisiana food to feast on, live music to make you shake a tailfeather, and sunshine and southern breezes to help you kick back and relax. Read on for a highlight of the great festivals coming this spring and summer in St. Tammany Parish!
Let's Dance, Let's Shout
Grab a partner and dance the day away at Abita's Busker Festival.
If it's music that feeds your soul, we've got you. Abita Springs gets music festival season rolling with its celebration of street music, the annual Abita Springs Busker Festival, on April 7. On April 20, Madisonville's 3rd annual Maritime Music & Art Festival will celebrate the arts as it benefits Maritime Museum Louisiana. Pack a picnic basket and head to Slidell's Heritage Park on April 28 for Some Enchanted Evening, the Northshore Community Orchestra's spring concert. On May 18, Heritage Park also hosts Slidell's 9th annual Louisiana Veterans Festival. Held each year on Armed Forces Weekend to pay homage to Louisiana veterans of the armed forces, the festival features three bands and numerous food vendors, and closes the night with fireworks.
Things To Do With The Family
Shop, trade and parade unique bicycles at the Louisiana Bicycle Festival in Abita Springs.
Festivals offer plenty of things to do with the whole family, and some fests are a bit more specialized. For its second annual event, A Storybook Kind of Day on April 6 is all about "Pirates and Princesses", so dress as your favorite story book character and get ready for interactive fun and storytelling sessions.
On April 20, Abita Springs will host the Louisiana Bicycle Festival for its 24th year of bike swap meets, races and wheelie competitions for the kiddos, a bicycle auction, prizes and awards, and a fun ride through the town. Admission is free to all events.
Bhakti Farms Yoga Fest, April 19-21 at Covington's Bhakti Farms, features two large tents with yoga classes every hour on the hour, specialized yoga sessions, and a healing village with medical and homeopathic practitioners, lecturers, meditation, acupuncture, massage therapy, and more. Fest-goers can also enjoy live music, a retail village, food and craft vendors, bonfires and numerous activities for the kids--including yoga. Both offer VIP experiences and passes for the full weekend--including camping--or single day passes.
On April 27, the Pearl River-Honey Island Swamp Museum & Research Center hosts Sweet Tea & Free Trees, an "Earth Day-ish" celebration of nature and the quintessential Southern beverage with activities for the kids, info booths and live music. Also celebrating nature is Earth Day at Bayou Lacombe Museum, on April 20. The free event features music, food, vendors and interactive & education booths.
Another multi-day festival taking place that same weekend is actually north of St. Tammany Parish, at the Washington Parish Fairgrounds in Franklinton. The Washington Parish Balloon Festival happens over three big days, May 31-June 2 and features awe-inspiring hot air balloon shows (weather permitting) and includes a carnival with rides, games and food booths, a full day of live music, food and craft vendors, and more.
Painting The Towns Red
Marianne Angeli Rodriguez of Rodriguez Gallery in downtown Covington
The month of April is an exciting one for art lovers. On April 13, downtown Covington hosts an evening of contemporary art, live music, and eateries offering special menus at the annual arts celebration Spring for Art. Stroll the town's historic districts and take in the sights, sounds and flavors of springtime creativity.
April 12-14, the Abita Springs Trailhead Museum hosts its popular annual event, the Abita Springs En Plein Air Exhibition, featuring recent landscapes by accomplished local artists who create their works out-of-doors, most of them in the past year. In Covington the following weekend, discover all things vintage and unusual with finds from collectors and dealers across the region at the Covington Antiques and Uniques Festival, April 20-21, at Covington Trailhead and surrounding streets. That same weekend, the Folsom Scenic Rivers Art Festival presents its 4th annual celebration of art and music in and around Folsom's Far Horizons Art Gallery and The Giddy Up, on April 21. All events are free and open to the public.
If you're looking for a go-at-your-own-pace day of art appreciation, check out the many colorful murals you'll discover on a stroll through Olde Towne Slidell.
Food, Glorious Food (and Drink)
Slidell's All You Can Eat Crawfish Cook-off
Foodies have loads of great options to choose from in St. Tammany Parish, all year long, but in festival season, it's all about sharing with friends and family while soaking up sunshine and sweet sounds from a stage. If live music is your bag, you can take your pick of the tried-and-true combo of live music and great food all season long.
On April 13, Crawfish Cookin' for a Cause will fill the air around the Mandeville lakefront splash pad with music and the aroma of crawfish with all the fixings. Proceeds benefit charities supported by the Northshore Community Foundation.
April 20 is a big day for festival feasting on The Northshore. First, there's Slidell's All-you-can-eat Crawfish Cook-off, believed to be the largest single-day crawfish boil in the world. It's a day of food and live music, and is a fundraiser too, so you can support a great cause while you pinch those tails. On the same day in Covington, St. Paul's School's Alumni Association boils up the tasty crustaceans at St. Paul's 13th Annual Crawfish Cook-off.
On May 11, it's all about variety at the Mandeville Lions Club's Mandeville Food Truck Festival, where you'll find food trucks, music, a kids' zone and the Kentucky Derby on a big screen. Proceeds benefit the non-profit's mission to provide eyeglasses to low-income individuals and a camp for special needs children. And, it's not a festival but it feels like one: Abita Brewing Company's monthly Food Truck Round-up with different food trucks and live music in the beer garden, every first Friday, year-round.
It doesn't start until June 1st, but events sell out every year, so make reservations early for this month-long celebration: A Taste of Covington Food, Wine, Music & Art Festival in historic downtown Covington happens June 1-30 every year with wine dinners and special events.
Also in June, Mandeville's Castine Center at Pelican Park will welcome craft beer lovers from across the region on June 22 for the 11th annual Larry Hartzog's Twisted Beer Fest and Homebrew Competition. With special goodies for VIP ticket holders, you'll want to secure your spot in advance at this unique festival, too.
Beach-loving foodies don't want to miss the 6th annual Kokomo Stroll on July 20, where adults (only) can sample summer cocktails, craft beers and light bites. Hula skirts, coconut bras and resort wear welcome at this beach-themed sip-and-stroll in downtown Covington. Your cup is your ticket, and you must purchase in advance.
Late summer food & drink events to mark on your calendar:
- Tammany Taste of Summer, August 1-31 at various St. Tammany Parish restaurants
- Covington White Linen for Public Art in Covington, August 17
- White Linen & Lagniappe in Slidell, August 31
The Northshore has many options for memorable experiences with family and friends, and this is only a highlight. Discover more, including upcoming summer festivals, Independence Day celebrations and more, on our event calendar.
Want to bring your group to The Northshore and make our festivals a part of your gathering? Our group sales team can help. Check out our Group Tours, Student Tours & Reunions page for more info.
