This Rice Festival In Louisiana Has Been Going Strong Since 1937

One thing about living in Louisiana is that there’s always a festival to look forward to. One of my favorite festivals is the annual International Rice Festival in Louisiana, which takes place on the third weekend in October every year. As one of the oldest and largest festivals in the state, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got your lodging squared away well in advance because everyone comes out for this historic festival. Let’s check it out:

Every year, the town of Crowley transforms to celebrate one of Louisiana's favorite crops: rice.

The festival takes place on the third weekend of October.

Mark your calendars for October 19-22, 2023.

The first Rice Festival was held on October 5, 1937 in Crowley, Louisiana.

Since then, it was renamed the International Rice Festival (1946) and has grown to become one of the largest festivals in Louisiana.

It currently holds the record for Louisiana’s oldest agricultural festival, a title it should hang onto for a very long time.

The parades are still a part of the festival, and always draw large crowds.

Luckily, we've traded the inflatable balloons for floats.

JFK and Jackie even visited the Rice Festival and joined the parade in 1959.

All your favorite festival attractions will be making an appearance, including carnival rides, an arts & crafts section, and food.

Of course, there will be plenty of Louisiana dishes featuring rice.

Jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, old-school rice and gravy... yes, please!

One tradition that still going strong is the beauty pageant.

Pictured above are the beauty pageant contestants in 1938.

Who will win the honor of being crowned this year?

Find out when the queen will be revealed as well as all of the events leading up to the festival on the events page.

And you know there's going to be some toe-tapping tunes to listen to.

Multiple bands will be playing across two different stages for the three-day festival.

See who's playing at the Rice Festival and get there early so you can get a good spot!

Check out all the fun things to do in Crowley while you're there and be sure to check out the Rice Festival on Facebook so you can stay up to date on any announcements as the festival gets closer.