Louisiana

3 Louisiana festivals among best in the US. Why they’re special here

Published

3 months ago

March 12, 2026

3 Louisiana festivals among best in the US. Why they’re special here

Louisiana is often referred to as the “Festival Capital of the World,” earning this title because of the hundreds of festivals that take place annually throughout the state.

More than 400 festivals take place each year in Louisiana, ranging from cultural and food celebrations to music and seasonal events.

Three festivals, Rougarou Fest, Jazz Fest and Beignet Fest, were named among the top 10 festivals in various categories by USA Today.

Rougarou Fest in Houma named on USA Today’s 10Best Cultural Festivals

Rougarou Fest in Houma was named by USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards as the seventh best cultural festival.

Rougarou Fest is a free, family-friendly festival that celebrates the rich folklore of Southeast Louisiana. The Rougarou is a folklore creature that’s described as having the head of a wolf or dog and the body of a human, like a werewolf. Stories of the Rougarou have been used by Cajun parents for generations to get children to behave.

The event, which takes place at 86 Valhi Blvd. in Houma, showcases live music, cultural activities, children’s activities, Cajun food, the Krewe Ga Rou parade and more. This year, the festival will take place from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25.

Here are the 10 best cultural festivals in the U.S. according to USA Today:

Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Black Wall Street Rally (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Dublin Irish Festival (Dublin, Ohio)
Fyr Bal Festival (Ephraim, Wisconsin)
Anchorage Fur Rendezvous (Anchorage, Alaska)
Black Food Truck Festival (Charleston, South Carolina)
Rougarou Fest (Houma, Louisiana)
World Food & Music Festival (Des Moines, Iowa)
Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival (Nashville, Tennessee)
Celtic Music and Heritage Festival (St. Augustine, Florida)

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival named among 10 best music festivals by USA Today

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, also known as Jazz Fest, was named the seventh best music festival on USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards.

This festival is a legendary celebration of music, featuring some of the biggest names in music, with this year’s lineup featuring the Eagles, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, Kings of Leon, Lorde, Tyler Childers and Earth, Wind and Fire, just to name a few.

The festival also puts the spotlight on local legends in the genres of jazz, blues, gospel, rock, R&B and Zydeco. This event is a great way for attendees to experience the rich musical heritage of New Orleans.

This year, the festival takes place on two separate weekends, from April 23 until May 3. In addition to music, there will also be authentic Louisiana cuisine, artisan crafts and cultural displays.

These are the 10 best music festivals in the U.S. according to USA Today:

Musikfest (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
Mile 0 Fest (Key West, Florida)
Joshua Tree Music Festival (Joshua Tree, California)
Festival Napa Valley (Napa, California)
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia)
Summerfest (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Waterfront Blues Festival (Portland, Oregon)
Lollapalooza (Chicago, Illinois)
Ohana Festival (Dana Point, California)

Beignet Fest in New Orleans among best specialty food festivals according to USA Today’s 10Best

Beignet Fest in New Orleans was named the eighth best specialty food festival by USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards.

This festival celebrates the food culture of New Orleans, especially beignets. Along with traditional beignets covered in a delicious heaping of powdered sugar, attendees can try specialty beignets stuffed with crawfish, gumbo and candied sweet potatoes.

This year, the festival will take place on Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the New Orleans City Park Festival Grounds.

Here are the 10 best specialty food festivals according to USA Today:

Delta Hot Tamale Festival (Greenville, Mississippi)
Maine Whoopie Pie Festival (Dover-Foxcroft, Maine)
Picklesburgh (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Cheese Curd Festival (Ellsworth, Wisconsin)
National Buffalo Wing Festival (Buffalo, New York)
National Shrimp Festival (Gulf Shores, Alabama)
Oregon Chocolate Festival (Ashland, Oregon)
Beignet Fest (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Kauai Poke Fest (Koloa, Hawaii)
Drinks With Benefits (New York City, New York)

Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com

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Louisiana

Flash flood warning issued for northwest Louisiana

Published

6 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Press Room

Flash flood warning issued for northwest Louisiana

The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning for northwest Louisiana due to thunderstorms producing heavy rain.
Shreveport Police responded to numerous stranded vehicles and traffic crashes, advising motorists to use extreme caution.
Central Shreveport experienced significant flooding, with high water reported in areas not typically prone to it.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Shreveport issued a Flash Flood Warning just after noon Monday, June 15, for northwest Louisiana.

According to the NWS, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain and flash flooding for much of the region. The warning was initially issued until 3 p.m. but was extended until 3:45 p.m.

NWS said this flash flooding could impact small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

Shreveport Police Department is reporting that since the rain began this morning, officers have responded to 53 calls for stranded or disabled vehicles and are investigating 24 traffic crashes.

“We are asking motorists to use extreme caution if you must travel,” Shreveport Police Department Public Information Officer Cpl. Chris Bordelon said. “Never attempt to drive through flooded roadways or high water. It only takes a small amount of moving water to sweep a vehicle off the roadway.”

Central parts of Shreveport are being heavily impacted. Shreveport business owner Bob Thames said, “I drove from my office downtown to Marilynn’s Place to check on the building. I had to take several detours. Streets that I’ve never seen flooded before were flooded.”

He continued, “The rapids flowing through Betty Virginia were unlike anything I’ve seen in my time in Shreveport. Bayou Pierre was higher than I’ve ever seen it. I was on the sidewalk warning people not to drive through Fern and Greenway Place.”

Thames stated he witnessed multiple cars get damaged this afternoon.

The Shreveport Police Department is reminding drivers that if you don’t have to be on the roads, stay home until conditions improve.

Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.

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Louisiana

What’s the connection between Zemurray Lodge and New Orleans? Curious Louisiana investigates.

Published

16 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Press Room

What’s the connection between Zemurray Lodge and New Orleans? Curious Louisiana investigates.

Zemurray Lodge and Gardens, a historic property built on 20th century banana wealth, is situated north of Lake Pontchartrain. One reader wants to know its connection with the city of New Orleans.

Sam Zemurray, the money behind the home, is a name well-known in Latin American political history.

“He was considered one of the richest and most powerful people in the United States, a man shrouded with international mystery who overthrew governments, orchestrated coups and had government agreements amended to meet his business needs,” the ANU Museum of the Jewish People website states.

Meet the New Orleans man who built an empire on overripe bananas — A portrait of Sam Zemurray by artist Maddie Stratton of Where Y’Art, as commissioned by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune for its “300 for 300” celebration of New Orleans’ tricentennial. (NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Zemurray, a Russian Jewish immigrant, helped popularize banana consumption across the United States while also exploiting workers and causing far-reaching political instability in Latin America. He got his start selling bananas in Mobile before coming to New Orleans in 1905, where he began expanding companies and consolidating a hold on the fruit market.

He was first the founder of the Cuyamel Fruit Company in New Orleans, then served as president of the United Fruit Company — one of the biggest companies in the world at the time, and one that has a massively influential and controversial history. Today, the company is known as Chiquita Brands International.

One part of his legacy on the city, where he spent large portions of his life, is his mansion at No. 2 Audubon Place, which was donated to Tulane University after his death in 1961.

The home at No. 2 Audubon Place is seen in a photo taken around 1910, just two years after its completion and more than a half century before its red brick exterior was painted a light ivory, as it is today. Built for lumberman William T. Jay, it was for much of the 20^th century home to United Fruit President Samuel Zemurray.

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Zemurray Lodge and Gardens, near Hammond, was bought by Zemurray in 1928. In his account of banana company history, “Bananas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped the World,” Peter Chapman characterized the home as a place where Zemurray could relax.

“In Louisiana he could walk out through the antebellum columns of his home and stroll around his lake that mirrored the cast-bronze statues at its edge,” Chapman wrote. “Zemurray had a hunting lodge in the pine woods and shot quail.”

The estate’s nomination for the National Register of Historic Places described the history of the place as one of the earliest settled areas in Tangipahoa Parish.

Sam Zemurray and United Fruit — Scenes of Zemurray Gardens in Loranger Wednesday, Mar. 17, 2004.Mar. 5, 2004. Yellow swallowtail butterfly on a Gulf Pride azalea flower. (Staff archive photo by Chuck Cook) ORG XMIT: NOLA2017060710580350

CHUCK COOK

Planter and lawyer Alfred Hennen built the house in 1829, and the property was inherited by his daughter and son-in-law, who sold it to the Lake Superior Piling Company of Chicago in 1918. Company President Charles Houlton, alongside his brother, added interior decoration and colonnades, among other improvements.

When it came into the Zemurray family’s possession, Zemurray’s wife, Sarah, had rows of azaleas and camellias planted along the forest trails. She expanded the gardens and created a two-acre lake, called Mirror Lake. Sarah Zemurray also installed replicas of classical statues.

Under the guidance of New Orleans architect Moise Goldstein, the house’s exterior was covered with stucco, Doric columns were added, and two cottages and stables were installed.

Like bananas? Meet the New Orleans businessman responsible for that. — Zemurray Lodge near Loranger in 1930s. (Times-Picayune archive photo)
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Interior designer George Gallup decorated in the Arts and Craft style — one that focuses on natural materials. The then-popular decorating style turned away from industrialization to emphasize nature-inspired motifs and quality craftsmanship. Inside the lodge, wainscoting, painted foliage and medieval-esque beamed ceilings showcased the trend.

“As far as the State Historic Preservation Office is aware, these interiors represent the most complete and elaborate example of Arts and Crafts interior design to be found in an eight parish area known collectively as the Florida Parishes,” read the National Register of Historic Places nomination form. “ … There is no other example of Arts and Crafts interior design known to the State Historic Preservation Office in the Florida Parishes which is even comparable to Zemurray Lodge.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for June 14, 2026

Published

1 day ago

June 15, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 14, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 14 drawing

5-3-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 14 drawing

0-1-5-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from June 14 drawing

6-2-0-2-8

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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