LUTCHER — The 30th annual Festival of the Bonfires will illuminate the sky this weekend with bonfire lightings, serving as a prelude to a fiery Christmas Eve tradition. Located at Lutcher Park, 2545 Louisiana Avenue, the festival will run from Dec. 13-15 and treat visitors to a holiday craft show, a 5K walk/run, amusement rides, pictures with Santa, Christmas tree displays, live entertainment, raffles and much more.

This year’s 30th annual Festival of the Bonfires Pageant keeps a beloved tradition ablaze as five beautiful ladies vie for the title of Miss Festival of the Bonfires XXX. The crown is a chance to represent St. James and River Parishes traditions at fairs and festivals around Louisiana. This year’s Miss contestants are Hannah Roussel, Jordan Brignac, Mallory Lambert, Amber Theisges and Cassidy Mistretta.

Additionally, four beautiful young ladies will vie for the title of Teen Miss Festival of the Bonfires XXI. Teen contestants are Gabrielle Treas, Kamryn Madere, Dominique Warren and Tabitha Detiller.

The Pageant begins at 4 p.m. Saturday at Lutcher Recreational Park under the main pavilion. Miss Festival of the Bonfires XXIX, Hailey Detillier and Teen Miss Festival of the Bonfires XX, Kami Hymel will relinquish their crowns.

This year’s children’s pageant will also be held on Saturday at Lutcher Park, beginning at 9 a.m. For more information, please visit the festival website festivalofthebonfires.org.

The lineup for the Festival weekend is as follows:

The Festival opens at 2 p.m. Friday. Jordan Babin will perform on stage from 4 to 6 p.m., and a gumbo cook-off will be held that evening. The first bonfire will be lit on the levee at 7 p.m., and free bus transportation will be provided. Chase Tyler Band will take the stage from 7 to 9 p.m. That performance will be followed by Category 6 band from 10 p.m. to midnight.

The Festival grounds open bright and early at 9 a.m. Saturday with a variety of morning contests, including a 4-H cookie contest, an art contest and a miniature bonfire building contest. Santa Claus will make a special appearance at the festival from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Third Gear band is performing from 1 to 3 p.m. Other Saturday performers include Mothership: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin Band from 7 to 9 p.m. and music by Bag of Donuts from 10 p.m. to midnight. Saturday’s bonfire lighting will be at 6:30 p.m.

The Tour de St. James Bike Ride starts when the Festival opens Sunday at 8 a.m. At 8:30 a.m., there will be a ½ mile kids run/walk, followed by a 5K run/walk at 9 a.m. Santa returns to the festival from 10 a.m. to noon, and a car show kicks off at 10:30 a.m.

Children from local schools and dance groups will provide entertainment throughout the day. Sunday’s bands include Mike Broussard and the Night Train, performing from 1 to 3 p.m., and Foret Tradition Band, performing from 4 to 6 p.m.

According to organizers, Festival of the Bonfires provides the $2 million in liability coverage required by the Pontchartrain Levee Board to keep the levee bonfire tradition alive for current and future generations.

Emily Chenet Guidry conducted extensive research on the Christmas Eve Bonfire Tradition along River Road in the 1980s and 1990s, interviewing elderly residents who recalled childhood memories of the bonfires from the turn of the 20^th Century. Some of these elderly residents shared stories of their grandparents, born in the River Parishes in the mid-1800s. The bonfire tradition shaped their upbringing as well.

Some speculate the Christmas Eve bonfires in St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes started to light the way for “Papa Noel,” the Cajun version of Santa Claus. Others note the bonfires created a lit path for faithful Catholics traveling to midnight Mass.

Long before French and German settlers came to the River Parishes, celebration bonfires of the same size and shape were constructed and set ablaze in Europe. According to Guidry’s research, the bonfire tradition traces back to an ancient Celtic custom to honor the Sun.

“To pay homage to this great source of power and light, fires were built at the time of the winter and summer solstices,” according to Guidry. “The Celts were dependent on farming for their tribal livelihood and believed that the fires would hasten the return of Spring and prolong the days of Summer.”

Following the birth of Christ, bonfire ceremonies became associated with Christianity.

For more information on the history of bonfires, visit festivalofthebonfires.org.

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