97th Annual Natchitoches Christmas Season Kicks Off This Saturday, November 18

The 97th annual Natchitoches Christmas Season will kick off this Saturday, November 18, 2023, and run through January 6, 2024.

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

Starting out as a one-day festival, the Natchitoches Christmas Festival has evolved into a six-week-long Christmas Season. Over 300,000 lights and 100-plus set pieces are on display every night at dusk.

Of course, there is a lot more to do. Nearly every night during the Christmas Season there are festivities on the Downtown Riverbank.

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

The kick-off, as previously mentioned, is this Saturday, November 18. The schedule is as follows:

*Downtown Riverbank $10 admission after 1:00 pm. Ages 6 and under are free.
10:00 am - 9:00 pm -- Holiday Kids Fest on the Downtown Riverbank
10:00 am - 4:00 pm -- Cookies with Santa ($)
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm -- Holiday Open House - Historic District Business Association Shops Open Late
4:30 pm - 9:00 pm -- "Turn on the Holidays!" - The official start to the Natchitoches Christmas season. This event features musical entertainment and fireworks
7:00 pm -- Fireworks over Cane River Lake

Music on the Riverbank Stage

4:30 pm -- Kelli Roberts Band
7:15 pm -- Louisiana Red

The premiere holiday event over the six weeks of events is the Christmas Festival. That daylong festival is filled with music, entertainment, arts and crafts, food vendors, and their famous firework show choreographed to holiday music over Cane River Lake.

It takes place on Saturday, December 2 and the schedule is as follows:

*Festival Area - $10 admission beginning at 6:00 am. Ages 6 and under are free.
7:00 am - 7:00 pm -- Mistletoe Market (City Bank parking lots on Second Street)
1:00 pm -- Festival of Lights Parade
6:00 pm -- Fireworks over Cane River Lake

Music on the Riverbank Stage

2:30 pm -- Pete & Paul Band
5:00 pm -- Johnny Earthquake & the Moondogs

Also, Christmas in the Park is only a five-minute drive from downtown. It is a family-friendly environment with over two hundred and fifty thousand LED lights and decorations, tasty holiday treats, nightly Christmas character meet and greets, the Mistletones singing Christmas trees, and much more.

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

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