LUTCHER — Residents of the River Parishes and beyond are invited to the 25th Festival of the Bonfires this weekend to celebrate “Christmas on the river, Cajun style.”

The festival runs Friday through Sunday at Lutcher Recreational Park on Lutcher Avenue.

“The festival was started to keep our tradition of the bonfires alive,” said Rhonda Lee, president of the festival committee.

There will be food, music, crafts and more throughout the weekend, a bonfire will be lit Friday and Saturday by the newly crowned Bonfire Festival Miss and Teen Queens.

Free shuttles to the levee are available 30 minutes prior to bonfire lighting.
Admission into the festival is $4 for adults, adults 62 and up and kids under 10 get in free.

If visitors wish to ride any of the rides at the festival, they can purchase tickets when they arrive. Officials said there would be single-fee passes to ride all the rides during pre-determined hours each day, but those prices have yet to be determined.

Tommy Bourgeois, vice president of the festival committee, said the music is top notch this year.

“The music lineup is one of the best we’ve had since I started organizing it,” he said. “The gumbo cook off is also big on Friday afternoon. That’s one of the big events of the weekend. The craft show is maxed out. People can go around and shop about.”

The festival begins at 2 p.m. Friday and ends at midnight.

Visitors can enjoy live entertainment from Mr. Man From 2 to 6 p.m. At 4:30 p.m., the gumbo cook off, potato salad showdown and the bread pudding bakeoffs begin.

Bourgeois said there is still time register for the potato salad showdown and bread pudding bake off by registering at festivalofthebonfires.org.

Lee said she considers Friday to be a festival within a festival because of the gumbo cook off.

“It’s going to be big,” she said. “With the gumbo cook off we sell samplers, and you get four little cups. You get to taste any of the gumbos you want. You can get chicken and Andouille, seafood or red beans gumbo, which is pretty unique to St. James Parish.”

Cook off results will be announced at 6:15 p.m.

The lighting of the bonfire on the levee is scheduled for 7 p.m. Then, from 7 to 9 p.m., Nashville South will preform, followed by Category 6.

On Saturday, the festival runs from 9 a.m. until midnight. The morning starts with the gingerbread house contest and 4-H cookie contest, both at 9 a.m. From 3 to 6 p.m., Shot time Band will perform.

The bonfire lighting on the levee will once again be at 7.

To end the night, visitors can listen to Karma play from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Because of the Class 3A State Championship football game between Lutcher High School and St. James High School Saturday, Lee said organizers aren’t expecting as many people at the festival during the day but added they are expecting a large crowd that night. On Sunday, the festival will hold a special celebration for whichever team wins.

Sunday’s fun begins at 8:30 a.m. with the half-mile kids run/walk. Gates to the festival open at 9, which is also when the 5K run/walk starts.

Those wishing to participate in the runs can still do so at festivalofthebonfires.org.

A children’s pageant is planned from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the purple and gold tent.

Awards for the 5K run/walk will be announced at 10 a.m., which is also when the car show beings. The car show ends at 1 p.m., and is followed by the car show parade at 1:15 p.m. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. various school and dance companies will be making appearances.