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Abita Springs Busker Festival
Mark your calendar for
these Festivals
George Long

10 Can't-Miss Festivals in
St. Tammany Parish

Come revel in the food, fun, and culture of Louisiana's Northshore, St. Tammany Parish, only 40 minutes north of New Orleans' French Quarter. Since the 19th century, the Northshore has been where The Big Easy comes to play and get away. Plan your visit around one of these Can't-miss festivals and experience the joie de vivre of
St. Tammany Parish.
Click on the photos below for more detailed event info, and click here for more Northshore events.

Abita Springs Busker Festival

1. The Abita Springs Busker Festival

  • Leave it to the quirky town of Abita Springs to bring in some of the region's best buskers (street musicians who perform for tips) for one of St. Tammany's fastest-growing festivals
  • Dedicated to the preservation of Louisiana roots music and sponsored by the Abita Opry
  • Abita Springs Art and Farmers Market adds to the delicious mix
  • Held at the Abita Beer Stage in Abita Springs Park (the original home of Abita Beer is around the corner and the current brewery, the largest in the Southeast, is a few miles away)
  • Free admission

Slidell's All-You-Can-Eat Crawfish Cook-off at Fritchie Park

2. Slidell's All You Can Eat Crawfish Cook-Off

  • Biggest crawfish festival in Louisiana takes place in Fritchie Park, Slidell
  • 45,000 lbs. of spicy boiled crawfish from 60 teams competing for bragging rights and "Best Crawfish in St. Tammany Parish"
  • A fund-raiser hosted by the Hospice Foundation of the South at the peak of crawfish season.
  • Live music
  • All You Can Eat crawfish with admission, and other food like burgers & hot dogs available, too.

 

Slidell Antique Spring Street Fair

3. Fall and Spring Slidell Antique Street Fairs

  • More than 200 booths showcasing antiques, Depression-era glass, collectibles, stained glass, pottery
  • Annual two-day family event in the historic Olde Towne Slidell district, held in both the Fall and Spring
  • Great food and live music on three stages
  • Free admission and parking

A Taste of Covington

4. A Taste of Covington

  • A five-day celebration of epicurean delights held each spring in Covington
  • Vintner dinners at area restaurants
  • Grand Tasting - sip over 50 wines, enjoy live music at Aquistapace's Wine Warehouse
  • Festa del Vino - fine wine tasting at the St. Tammany Art Association sponsored by Covington Mayor Mike Cooper
  • Don't miss Spring for Art on Saturday, an evening of gallery openings, live music, and art demonstrations in downtown Covington.
  • Sunday Champagne Jazz Brunch

Slidell Heritage Festival

5. The Slidell Heritage Festival

  • Celebrate America's birthday with live music & FIREWORKS in beautiful Heritage Park
  • Camellia City Art-In-the-Park area with artisans and crafters exhibiting their works
  • Games & activities for children
  • Come hungry for lots of great Louisiana festival food: boudin balls, crawfish beignets, shrimp on a stick, Cajun pasta and more

Ozone Song Writers Festival on the Northshore

6. Ozone Songwriter Festival on the Northshore

  • 100+ singer-songwriters performed over two days on four stages. From chart-topping hitmakers from Nashville, including festival co-founder Greg Barnhill, to well known New Orleans-based songwriters
  • Food trucks and local beer stations periodically stationed 
  • All proceeds aid the Ozone Music Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing elementary and high school students in St. Tammany with further music education.
  • The festival features two days of free, family-friendly events, educational opportunities for songwriters and musicians, and a showcase event featuring headliners and supporting acts.

Boats line the Tchefuncte River for the Wooden Boat Festival

7. Wooden Boat Festival

  • Celebrate St. Tammany's maritime history along the banks of the Tchefuncte River in the quaint town of Madisonville
  • The largest collection of classic and vintage hand-crafted wooden boats on the Gulf Coast
  • The Quick 'n' Dirty Boat Building contest is a crowd favorite. Costumed teams blitz-build a themed boat in 14 hours then compete in a raucous 100-yard race with hilarious results.
  • Live music, Beer Garden, and Children's Village
  • Kids Boat Shop - free wooden boat souvenirs for children to take home
  • Admission is only $10 for adults and free for kids 12 and under, seniors and active military

Art Festival

8. Covington's Three Rivers Art Festival

  • Juried outdoor art market on Columbia Street in historic St. John District of Covington with over 200 artists from around the Southeast region.
  • Shop for high-quality works in ceramics, paintings, photography, fiber art, woodworking, metalwork, sculptures, jewelry and more.
  • Children's Discovery Area with face-painting, arts, and crafts projects, and award-winning storytellers, musicians, and dancers who perform theater, opera, jazz, Cajun music, magic tricks and more.
  • Arts Alive! tent with live art demonstrations like pottery making, glass blowing, and blacksmithing.
  • Fun Louisiana food like crawfish étouffée, shrimp & grits, gator bites, fried shrimp and more.
  • Free admission.

10 Can't Miss Festivals on the Northshore

9. St. Tammany Crab Festival

  • 2-day celebration with non-stop live music and non-stop dancing in scenic Heritage Park in Slidell
  • Savor succulent Lake Pontchartrain crabs served a variety of ways (spicy boiled, golden fried soft shell crab po'boys) as well as Louisiana crawfish, shrimp, snoballs and more.
  • Kids games & activities, crafts
  • Mr. Crabs Car Show (classic cars &, stunt bikes, trucks, 4x4s and more)
  • Boat rides on Bayou Bonfouca

Bluesberry Festival

10. Bluesberry Festival

  • An all-day line up of live music acts in scenic Bogue Falaya Park in Covington
  • Fresh blueberries from local growers
  • More than thirty artisan and vendor booths
  • Food truck alley
  • Hands-on and interactive children's activities
  • Abita Beer Garden

Read about all of the Northshore's major annual events - from Mardi Gras to music festivals to art & antique fairs.

Looking for the top ten things to do on the Northshore? It's hard to choose, but this will get you started.

The events calendar is full of fun, food and music. Search by date to find out what's going on during your stay.