Downtown Baton Rouge's Festival of Lights runs from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, around North Boulevard Town Square. For at least the past two years it was a Friday event from 4 to 8 p.m. The organizers now call it "reimagined as a full-day experience," and the new schedule includes a first responders parade, a shopping event and a holiday run that used to happen on other days or not at all.
That makes Dec. 5 the one daytime anchor in a holiday season that otherwise happens after dark. White Light Night runs on a Friday evening. Zoo Lights and Louisiana Lights run every night from late November to the end of December. The festival is now the only one of these that starts at lunchtime.
| Year | Day | Hours | What the listings named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Friday, Dec. 6 | 4 to 8 p.m. | Tree lighting, ice skating, a snow village, Santa, live music, local art |
| 2025 | Friday, Dec. 5 | 4 to 8 p.m. | Tree lighting, ice skating, fireworks, Santa and Mrs. Claus photos at the Old State Capitol, an artists' village |
| 2026 | Saturday, Dec. 5 | Noon to 7 p.m. | Operation Save Santa Parade, Holiday Shop Hop, Reindeer Run, live entertainment, a community stage, tree lighting and fireworks |
The 2024 hours come from WAFB's preview that year, and the 2025 lineup comes from The Advocate's weekend guide for Dec. 5-7, 2025. The 2026 lineup is from the Downtown Development District's event page and the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Admission is still free.
The parade and the run used to be separate events
Last year the Operation Save Santa parade wasn't part of the festival. It was announced as Baton Rouge's first First Responders Christmas Parade, set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, nine days after the 2025 festival. The Robert A. Bogan Fire Museum and the First Responders Operation Save Santa Committee organized it, and the announced route started at 4th and North streets and ended at Convention and 5th, according to Baton Rouge Family Fun. For 2026 it is part of the festival, and Visit Baton Rouge describes it as "a festive way to kick off the day."
The Reindeer Run has been gone even longer. The Arts Council says it is "back for the first time since 2019." This year it starts late in the afternoon of Dec. 5, the same day as the festival, and runs before the tree lighting that closes the festival.
- 1 Mile Fun Run: 5:45 p.m., $25
- 5K: 6:15 p.m., $35
- Race-day registration: $40
- Start and finish: 107 3rd St., downtown
- Discounts: Teams of 10 or more and Arts Council members save 15%
Registration includes a race bib, jingle bells for your shoes, snacks from Bally's before and after the race, Coca-Cola sports drinks and water, and a drink ticket. All proceeds go to the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Registration is open through RunSignup, and the Arts Council encourages costumes and holiday accessories.
Taken together, the old Friday festival, the Sunday parade from nine days later and a run that hasn't been held since 2019 now share one Saturday.
How the Saturday runs, start to finish
Visit Baton Rouge's guide, published Nov. 3, lays out the day in this order:
- Noon: The festival opens across several downtown spots centered on North Boulevard Town Square. The Operation Save Santa Parade starts the day.
- Afternoon: The Holiday Shop Hop sends people into downtown businesses, and live entertainment runs at different spots all day. The Downtown Development District also lists a community stage.
- 5:45 and 6:15 p.m.: The Fun Run starts, then the 5K, from 3rd Street.
- Close: The Baton Rouge Christmas tree is lit, followed by fireworks over downtown, before the 7 p.m. end time.
Since the festival now covers seven hours, you can pick when to show up. Families with small children can come for the parade and the early afternoon. Runners and anyone who wants the fireworks can come late and stay for the end. Visit Baton Rouge mentions street parking, surface lots and garages within walking distance, and points visitors to the Downtown Development District's interactive parking map.
Mid City gets its own Friday first
The move also separates the season's two big street events. In 2025, Festival of Lights and Mid City's White Light Night were both Friday-evening events. White Light Night stays on a Friday this year: Nov. 20, from 6 to 10 p.m. It's free, and the Mid City Merchants bill it as Mid City's largest art festival, with artists, makers, live music and the neighborhood's restaurants along a route lit in white lights.
This year's plan includes shuttles. In the organizers' words, "This year, we will have the shuttle busses running!" They also suggest Uber and Lyft or riding a bike on "Mid City's newest bike lanes." The event page has an interactive map and a PDF map that show parking and the shops taking part.
White Light Night is two weeks before Festival of Lights, so it opens the season, and it still happens at night.
The light trails take every other night
From the Friday after Thanksgiving to Dec. 30, the season moves to two nightly light displays. Visit Baton Rouge's holiday lights roundup lists both.
- Zoo Lights at BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo, 3601 Thomas Road. Nov. 27 to Dec. 30, closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission gates are open from 5:30 to 8 p.m., and the grounds close at 9. On Fridays and Saturdays before Christmas, Santa visits in Classroom 3 at the zoo's new entrance. Visit Baton Rouge lists admission at $5 for adults and teens, $4 for seniors, $3 for children 2 to 12 and for Zoo members, and free for children 1 and under. If you bring a non-perishable food item, you get 50% off regular admission, and the food goes to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.
- Louisiana Lights at LSU Burden Museum & Gardens, 4560 Essen Lane. Nov. 27 to Dec. 30, with lighted paths and holiday scenes throughout the gardens.
The food donation makes Zoo Lights one of the cheapest nights out this season. The adult price drops to $2.50, and a child's ticket costs $1.50.
Dinner around a light-trail night
The new restaurants this fall are on the south side, closer to Burden than to downtown, so they make more sense on a Louisiana Lights night than on Dec. 5.
- Mudan Modern Asian Cuisine, 9460 Perkins Road. It soft-opened Oct. 6 with dim sum, soup dumplings and Cantonese dishes. 225 Magazine reported hours of 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
- The Historic Highland Road Grill, 8635 Highland Road. It soft-opened Oct. 15 in the former Sammy's Grill space. 225's Oct. 28 report listed hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
- Prince St. Pizza, 6556 Siegen Lane. The chain's first Louisiana location opened Oct. 9. 225 reported that it stays open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday, so it works after a late Zoo Lights visit.
The dates to put on the calendar are Nov. 20 for White Light Night in Mid City, Nov. 27 for opening night at the zoo and Burden, and Saturday, Dec. 5, from noon to 7 p.m. downtown.
Holiday weekends like this one are one of the things that make Baton Rouge home, and at Team CeejaySells we like keeping neighbors up to date when something like Festival of Lights changes. If your plans for the new year include a move, or you're just curious what your home is worth this season, start with our free home valuation. It takes about as long as waiting for the tree to light up.
