Louisiana Renaissance Festival
Fall festival · Louisiana
A sixteenth-century English village rebuilt in the pines outside Hammond, with jousting, hundreds of costumed performers and turkey legs sold from open-air stalls. It runs weekends only, from early November into December, about forty miles east of New Orleans on River Road.
Don’t miss
Plan your visit
Select weekends only (Nov 7,8,14,15,21,22,27,28,29; Dec 5,6,12,13), 8:45am-5pm rain or shine
Dates from the official announcement — always confirm before you go.
Color nearby peaks: November 26–November 30
Color builds from November 13 · mostly bare by December 23
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Louisiana Renaissance Festival’s own coordinates and elevation (12 m) rather than a regional average. Estimates, not promises — check locally before you plan a trip around it.
Louisiana Renaissance Festival on the map
More things to do in Louisiana
St. Francisville
Historic townColor nearby peaks November 28
A bluff-top town 'two miles long and two yards wide' above the Mississippi River anchors West Feliciana Parish's cluster of antebellum plantations (Rosedown, the Myrtles, the Cottage), with candlelit ghost tours and fall garden days drawing visitors through October.
Don’t miss: Antebellum plantation tours · Candlelit ghost tours · Bluff-top historic district
French Quarter Phantoms
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks November 28
Established in 2006, this locally owned outfit walks just under a mile through the Quarter and Treme on a 105-minute Ghost and Vampire tour, voted New Orleans' number one haunted tour eight years running. It runs 364 days a year.
Don’t miss: Voted #1 haunted tour 8 years running · Departs 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. nightly · Under a mile on foot, rain or shine
The Mortuary Haunted Mansion
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 28
A genuine former funeral home at the dead end of Canal Street, where more than 20,000 funerals took place between 1930 and 2003. Each Halloween the mansion reopens as New Orleans' best-known haunted house, on the cemetery streetcar line.
Don’t miss: A real former mortuary, 1930-2003 · On the Canal Street cemetery streetcar line · Blackout flashlight nights
Historic New Orleans Tours (Garden District)
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks November 28
A two-hour walk through the Garden District with a guide who is usually a working historian, ending at the wrought-iron gates of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. The company has run tours since 1995 and leans on real research over jump scares, tracing the mansions back to the cotton and sugar money that built them.
Don’t miss: Garden District walking tour · Ends at Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 · Guided by working historians since 1995
Plan from a city
Frequently asked
- When is Louisiana Renaissance Festival open in 2026?
- The 2026 season runs Nov 7 – Dec 13. Select weekends only (Nov 7,8,14,15,21,22,27,28,29; Dec 5,6,12,13), 8:45am-5pm rain or shine. Dates can shift, so check the official site before you go.
- When does Louisiana Renaissance Festival peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for November 26–November 30 (best estimate November 28). Color starts around November 13 and is mostly bare by December 23.
- What is Louisiana Renaissance Festival best for?
- A costumed day trip from New Orleans.
- How do I get to Louisiana Renaissance Festival?
- The closest city is New Orleans, about 44 mi away. It's part of Louisiana's fall lineup.
Own or manage Louisiana Renaissance Festival? Update your listing or get in touch.