Festival season hits its stride on The Northshore when summer finally begins to loosen its grip. Fall weekends bring people together at fairgrounds and riverfronts, along wooded trails and historic streets, with live music, local food, carnival rides, art, outdoor adventures and traditions that have been passed down for generations.
This year’s calendar stretches from September well into November, with plenty of reasons to make a day—or a whole weekend—of it. Whether your idea of fall fun involves a midway, a mountain bike, a wooden boat or a very full plate, you’ll find it here.
Fall Favorites, Family Fun & Outdoor Adventures
Some of fall’s best events are the ones that get you out exploring. These festivals and community traditions range from old-fashioned fairs and Halloween fun to riverfront celebrations and two-wheeled adventures.
Sept. 26: Folsom Fall Festival & Chili Cook-off
Head north to horse country for a small-town celebration at Moise Park and Giddy Up Folsom, where the Village of Folsom brings together family activities, food, live music and local flavor. Bring your appetite, too: this year’s festival adds a chili cook-off to the mix.
Sept. 30-Oct. 4: St. Tammany Parish Fair
More than a century of tradition fills the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington with livestock shows, agricultural and home exhibits, rodeo action, carnival rides, live entertainment and the kind of fair food that practically requires a walk around the midway afterward. The fair has been a parish tradition since 1910.
Oct. 2-4: Roller Coaster of Love Mountain Bike Festival
Northshore Off-Road Bicycling Association (NORBA) takes over Bogue Chitto State Park for three days of races, jumps, trail riding and plenty of spectator action. Riders take on everything from cross-country and enduro races to dual slalom, a nighttime jump contest and a night ride through the park’s pine forests and creek-crossed terrain.
Oct. 3: Olde Towne Pumpkin Festival
Rainbow Child Care Center brings a full day of family fun to Olde Towne Slidell with pony rides, inflatables, face painting, games, robotics demonstrations and a Youth Entrepreneur Market. And then there’s the crowd-pleaser: pumpkin chunkin’, because apparently fall is even better when pumpkins fly. Be sure to get your fall decor from First UMC Slidell's pumpkin patch, open through October.
Oct. 9-11: Festival of the Lake
Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church welcomes the community to three days of free live music, food, games, inflatables and family fun in Mandeville. Bring a chair, browse the market and settle in near the stage for a tradition that has been drawing generations of local families together since 1982.
Oct. 17: Biketoberfest
Brooks’ Bike Shop brings cyclists and craft-beer fans together for a two-wheeled fall celebration in downtown Covington. Roll out from the shop for a group ride, then stick around for local brews, live music, food and the camaraderie of The Northshore’s cycling community.
Oct. 17-18: Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival
The Tchefuncte River provides the backdrop for one of The Northshore’s signature traditions as Maritime Museum Louisiana celebrates the festival's 35th year. More than 100 classic wooden boats gather along the riverfront alongside live music, food and family activities, while the Children’s Village introduces younger festivalgoers to the maritime fun.
Oct. 24-25: Olde Towne Slidell Antique & Craft Street Fair
Treasure hunting takes over the streets of Olde Towne during the annual street festival. Browse antiques, vintage pieces, collectibles, art and other finds as vendors spread through the historic district, with local shops, food and music adding to the weekend atmosphere.
Oct. 31: ACCESS Louisiana Boo Fest
ACCESS Louisiana creates a Halloween celebration designed so children of all abilities can take part in the fun. Families trick-or-treat along an accessible paved route lined with decorated houses, then enjoy games, crafts, costume activities and other seasonal attractions. Proceeds support programs that provide adaptive equipment, assistive devices and other resources for children with disabilities and their families.
Nov. 15: Fall Fest at the Lang House Museum
Spend an autumn afternoon among the oaks at the Jean Baptiste Lang House Museum & Gift Shop, where Fall Fest pairs family activities with a setting steeped in Old Mandeville history. Built around 1850-1852 as a summer home for New Orleans merchant Jean Baptiste Lang, the Creole cottage survived Hurricane Katrina, was moved inland from Lakeshore Drive and restored as a museum and community gathering place.
Nov. 21: Northshore for the Cure Festival
Close out fall festing season in Slidell at Northshore for the Cure, where live music, food and family activities turn Bella Sera Lane into a community celebration with a cause at its heart. Founded by The Kitchen Guys, the annual festival raises funds to support community health initiatives.
Music, Arts & Cultural Celebrations
Fall also brings some of The Northshore’s biggest celebrations of creativity and culture, from art-filled streets and songwriter showcases to festivals rooted in Louisiana music and traditions. Wander among artists and makers, discover new music or find a dance floor—sometimes all in the same afternoon.
Sept. 19: Canvas & Chords Art Stroll
Canvas & Chords has a new setting this year, transforming TerraBella Boulevard into an open-air showcase of art, music and handmade goods. Browse work from local makers, the TerraBella Artists Guild and participating St. Tammany Art Association artists while live music carries through the village throughout the evening.
Sept. 20: Lago Fest Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
Kick off Hispanic Heritage Month at the Mandeville Trailhead with Hola Northshore's celebration of the cultures and traditions of the Northshore’s Hispanic community. Live Latin music, salsa and bachata lessons, dance performances and cuisine representing countries across the Hispanic world make this one of the season’s most colorful gatherings.
Oct. 2: Abita Fall Fest
Abita Fall Fest returns to its roots for a special one-night-only celebration at the Abita Springs Trailhead. Live music takes over the main and songwriter stages, joined by local food, Abita beer and art. The condensed format gives this year’s festival a different rhythm while keeping the music, local flavor and community spirit that made it a fall favorite in the first place.
Oct. 10: Fall for Art
Downtown Covington becomes an evening arts district during this annual celebration of the arts, presented by the St. Tammany Art Association. Stroll Columbia Street and the surrounding blocks for gallery openings, artist displays and demonstrations, live entertainment and a bustling outdoor art market, with downtown restaurants and shops joining the celebration.
Oct. 24-25: Louisiana Wildfowl Festival
The 47th annual event at Pelican Park’s Castine Center celebrates a distinctly Louisiana art form. See detailed wildfowl carvings alongside fine art and photography, watch artists and carvers at work, browse vendors and catch competitions ranging from championship carving to the fast-paced head-whittling contest. Kids’ activities and live wildfowl demonstrations make the centuries-old relationship between Louisiana’s people, wildlife and wetlands approachable for the next generation, too.
Oct. 31: WideWater Music & Art Festival
Spend Halloween on the Mandeville lakefront as the 4th annual festival brings together multiple stages of live music, original art and handmade goods, food and a whole lot of Old Mandeville atmosphere. This year’s Halloween date adds costumes, seasonal touches and a festival-wide trick-or-treat experience to the mix.
Oct. 31-Nov. 1: NOLA Zydeco Fest
Heritage Park in Slidell becomes a bayou-side dance floor for the sixth annual festival, returning to The Northshore for a second year. The two-day celebration of Louisiana Creole culture pairs live zydeco music and dancing with Louisiana cuisine, cultural experiences and family activities along Bayou Bonfouca.
Nov. 6-8: Ozone Songwriter Festival on the Northshore
Hear the stories behind the songs when this three-day festival takes over downtown Covington. More than 100 musicians perform original music across the Covington Trailhead and intimate partner venues throughout downtown, creating opportunities to hear established and emerging songwriters in settings ranging from the festival’s main stage to tucked-away rooms just steps apart. Workshops and songwriter programming add another layer for musicians and serious music fans.
Nov. 14-15: Covington Three Rivers Art Festival
Columbia Street becomes a sprawling outdoor gallery for one of The Northshore’s largest annual events, bringing 200 juried artists from across the U.S. to several blocks of Columbia Street in downtown Covington, with painting, ceramics, photography, fiber art, jewelry, sculpture, woodworking, metalwork and more filling booth after booth. A Children’s Village and student art activities give younger creators their own place in the weekend, too.
Fall Flavors: Food, Drink & Community Gatherings
Come hungry. Some of fall’s most anticipated gatherings put food and drink at the center of the celebration, from cook-offs and craft beer to German specialties and rooftop tastings. Many also raise money for local nonprofits, so a good time—and a second helping—can do some good along the way.
Oct. 3: Wild Game, Seafood & BBQ Cook-Off
Community Christian Concern brings more than 20 cooking teams to Olde Towne Slidell, serving everything from familiar barbecue favorites to wilder Louisiana flavors. Admission includes all-you-can-eat tastings, with live music and Artisan Alley adding plenty to explore between bites. Proceeds support CCC’s work helping local families in need.
Oct. 3: Rooftop Rendezvous
The SMH Foundation takes the party to the fifth-floor parking garage at Slidell Memorial Hospital for an evening of local food, drinks, live music and dancing under the stars. Now in its 17th year, the fundraiser supports Slidell Memorial Hospital and community health initiatives.
Wednesdays & Thursdays, Oct. 7-Nov. 12: Middendorf’s Oktoberfest
Middendorf’s Slidell adds a little Bavaria to catfish country for six weeks, with a different German entrée featured each Wednesday and Thursday. Sauerbraten, schnitzel, pork shank and house-made spätzle join pretzels, German-inspired appetizers and desserts such as apple strudel and Black Forest cake.
Oct. 11: Northshore Beer Festival
At the Mandeville Trailhead, Louisiana craft breweries pour samples from around the state while festivalgoers enjoy an afternoon centered on good beer and a good cause. Proceeds benefit The Miracle League Northshore, which provides inclusive sports opportunities for children of all abilities.
Oct. 23–25: Slidell Food & Fun Fest (St. Margaret Mary Fair)
St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church and School welcomes the community for a full weekend of carnival rides, midway games, festival food and plenty of time to catch up with friends and neighbors. The weekend also includes the annual 5K and one-mile races on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Nov. 1: Heroes Who Cook
Children’s Advocacy Center–Hope House pairs local personalities with some of The Northshore’s top restaurants for an evening of tasting and friendly competition atop the St. Tammany Parish Justice Center parking garage in downtown Covington. Eighteen celebrity-and-restaurant teams create dishes for guests and judges, with drinks, live music and auctions rounding out the fundraiser for Hope House’s work with child abuse victims and their families.
Find Your Next Fall Outing
Fall on The Northshore has a way of filling the calendar fast—in the best possible way. From parish-fair traditions and waterfront festivals to art walks, bike rides, cook-offs and music-filled weekends, there’s always another reason to get out and make a day of it.
Planning your next fall outing? Check our event calendar for even more festivals, concerts, markets and seasonal happenings across The Northshore.
