Damage Assessment Survey
For those impacted by the St. Tammany Parish weather event on April 10, 2024. Please report your damage by clicking this alert.
- Towns
- Lodging
- Events
- Restaurants
-
Things to Do
-
Attractions
-
Ten Things to Do
- 10 Can't Miss Festivals
- 10 Ways to Get In or Near the Water
- 10 Things to Do With Kids
- St. Tammany Day Trip from New Orleans
- 10 Things to Do with Your Dog
- 11 Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do
- 10 Ways to Taste
- 10 Ways to Shop
- 10 Free Things to Do
- 10 Ways To Be Romantic
- 10 Things to do on a Girlfriends’ Getaway
- 10 Ways to Celebrate Mardi Gras
-
Fishing
-
Outdoors
-
Water Recreation
- Kid Friendly
- Shopping
- Spas & Wellness
-
Arts & Entertainment
-
Itineraries
-
Bars & Nightlife
-
Attractions
- About
-
Towns>
-
Lodging>
-
Events>
-
-
- 10 Can't Miss Festivals
- 10 Ways to Get In or Near the Water
- 10 Things to Do With Kids
- St. Tammany Day Trip from New Orleans
- 10 Things to Do with Your Dog
- 11 Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do
- 10 Ways to Taste
- 10 Ways to Shop
- 10 Free Things to Do
- 10 Ways To Be Romantic
- 10 Things to do on a Girlfriends’ Getaway
- 10 Ways to Celebrate Mardi Gras
-
Fishing>
-
Outdoors>
-
About>
this section...
MADISONVILLE WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL
October 19-20, 2024
The picturesque town of Madisonville, founded in 1817 along the banks of the wide Tchefuncte River, celebrates its maritime history each year with the very popular Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival. Attracting scores of classic hand-crafted wooden boats from across the Gulf Coast, the festival is a flotilla of fun, offering visitors the chance to view and sometimes board the boats, enjoy great food, live music and two days of activities.
The event stretches from Water Street and the Tchefuncte riverfront for several blocks to the Maritime Museum Louisiana, which hosts the fest to benefit its educational programs and Madisonville lighthouse restoration. Expect to see vintage wooden boats dating back decades: cruisers, luggers, sailboats, skiffs and trawlers with names like Mama Doll, Miss Ashley, Never Done and Reaux Boat.
There are food booths selling Louisiana specialties, live music and entertainment, and the Children’s Village located at Madisonville Ball Park, 1007 Pine St., which will host ROV demonstrations by Northshore Robotics, painting, a pumpkin patch and more.
One highlight of the festival, started in 1990, is the Quick ‘n’ Dirty Boat Building competition. Participants pick a theme and then have 14 hours to build a boat from materials provided them. Boats then must complete a 100-yard course on Sunday afternoon to prove their seaworthiness. Many fail horribly, much to the amusement of onlookers.
The festival attracts some 30,000 visitors each year and shuttles are available to get people in and out of the area quickly. Admission is only $10 per day for ages 12+, free for kids 11 and under.
