Baton Rouge Culture

Louisiana culture is legendary and Baton Rouge is in the mix! Here’s just some of what the Capital City has to offer.

Live after Five: It’s our free premiere event with live outdoor music and entertainment. It’s hosted by the Downtown Business Association and includes 16 concerts, 8 in the Spring and 8 in the Fall.

BR Blues Fest: It’s free to the public, family friendly and typically held in April. Enjoy music from Blues legends and newcomers.

Fest for All: It’s a great family friendly party, held downtown, with art, music, and dance. Just have a good time!

Sunday in the Park: Have fun on the North Boulevard Town Square! There are 12 family friendly concerts held annually. In addition to the music, visitors can enjoy Sunday brunch and fabulous food from local vendors.

Louisiana Earth Day: It’s one of the largest environmental festivals in the country and focused on the need to preserve Louisiana’s beautiful environment.

 

Bayou Country Superfest: Each year it just gets bigger and better. It’s held in Tiger Stadium and this years’ headliners included Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Tyler Farr, Kip Moore, Colt Ford, David Nail, Kristian Bush, and Cassadee Pope. I also just have to mention that the week before this year’s Superfest, Taylor Swift performed at Tiger Stadium to a sold out crowd.

Mardi Gras: You don’t have to go to New Orleans to have a good time and here you can bring your children to most everything. The Spanish Town Parade is a big downtown event and there’s partying in the streets for the Southdowns Parade near LSU.

And, if you really want a party, go to an LSU football game.  There’s really nothing like a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.  There are over 100,000 fans at most of these games and if you can’t get a ticket you can at least tailgate on the LSU grounds all day.

Of course there are also some more traditional venues, places to go, and things to do. If you’re visiting you might want to check out the Louisiana Art and Science Museum or The Irene W. Pennington Planetarium and ExxonMobil Space Theatre.

Area Images

Maybe you’re more interested in the arts. If so, go to the Shaw Center for the Arts. It opened in 2005 and is a world class center for art and theatre. It houses the Manship Theatre, LSU Museum of Art, LSU School of Art Gallery, and LSU Laboratory for Creative Arts and Technologies. The LSU Museum of Art alone has 17,000 square feet of exhibitions for touring and permanent collections.

The Baton Rouge Symphony has multiple offerings for classical music fans of all ages. The Masterworks Series is performed by the full orchestra in Baton Rouge’s downtown River Center. There are additional chamber productions, a youth orchestra, and special events with venues selected to match the occasion.

If you are looking for a little Louisiana history then you might want to visit the Old State Capitol. This historic building was restored in 1994 and is the Center for Political and Governmental History.

You might also enjoy touring some of South Louisiana’s old plantations. Travel just south of Baton Rouge along the River Road and you’ll find the Laura, Oak Alley, Nottoway, Houmas House, Tezcuco, San Francisco, and Destrehan plantations.

And, if you’re willing to travel just a little bit farther you can go to Avery Island, where Tabasco hot sauce is made, and tour one of the most beautiful gardens and nature preserves in the area.

Culture Links:

Louisiana Art and Science Museum
The Shaw Center for the Arts
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Old State Capitol
Plantations