Louisiana Renaissance Festival
- Dates
- Nov 7 to Dec 13, 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Festival grounds, 46468 River Rd
- Price
- $31
- Camping
- Available
- Last checked
- Aug 24, 2026
The experience
What's special
Every autumn the Louisiana Renaissance Festival raises the 16th-century English village of Albright in the woods outside Hammond, about an hour from New Orleans, with more than 600 artisans, entertainers, and educational demonstrations across six themed weekends - from Fae and Fantasy through Pirate, Celtic, Viking, and Lore & Legends to a Yuletide finale with Father Christmas, Krampus, and fireworks. Jousting runs twice daily at the Joust Arena, dozens of professional acts fill the stages - fire performers, sword swallowers, escape artists, bards, and a hurdy-gurdy player - and a distinctive reserved-ticket tasting program covers mead, beer, wine, whisky, rum, tea, and cocktails. The site itself stands out for its permanent buildings, trees, and pond, rustic on-site camping keeps the bonfire going after the closing cannon, and the festival, which marked its 25th year in 2025, sells online-only date-specific tickets with all booking and processing fees covered.
What people love
The food draws the most consistent praise - Louisiana festival cooking described as awesome, a diverse selection with craft beer, and mead sold by the bottle on Viking weekend - alongside entertainment that regulars call great, with mature, humorous shows, well-loved historical reenactors, and favorites like jousting and falconry. Attendees like that the grounds have real buildings and a shaded, pond-side setting, that the whole faire is walkable in a day, and that it works for families; many go every year, some every weekend. Recurring gripes: entry lines move slowly (regulars say get there early), peak-day crowds can mean hour-long food lines, facilities are still porta-potties, and long-time visitors complain that mass-produced and AI-artwork merchandise has crept in among the handmade crafts.
Last time around
The 2025 festival was the event's 25th anniversary season, opening at the end of October to press coverage of artisans, jesters, and knights bringing the 16th century to life in Hammond, with performances including the sea-shanty ensemble Ladies of Integrity, Aristocracy, Repute, and Society.
See the grounds
Themed weekends
Thirteen festival days across six weekends: November 7-8, 14-15, 21-22, the three-day Thanksgiving weekend November 27-29, and December 5-6 and 12-13. Open 8:45 AM to 5:00 PM, rain or shine. The 2026 season carries six weekend themes: Fae and Fantasy, Pirate, Celtic, Lore & Legends, Viking, and Yuletide Fireworks
On the lanes & stages
Set in the Renaissance period. Event style: faire.
Lineup
Costumes & what to wear
Do I need a costume?
Costumes are strongly encouraged and widely worn, with many attendees dressing to the weekend's theme, fairy wings and flower crowns on Fae and Fantasy weekends, pirate gear, kilts, Viking leathers, or velvet cloaks for Yuletide, but regular clothes are entirely acceptable. The practical advice from regulars: Louisiana stays warm and sunny well into the season, so plan for heat and skip the heaviest garb
Costume rules
Costumes are strongly encouraged but not required. All guests must wear shoes at all times, and the festival reserves the right to exclude visitors whose clothing could create a distraction: no offensive messages, no transparent or excessively torn clothing, and no attire exposing inappropriate portions of the body. No firearms, including realistic-looking toy guns; all other weapons must be sheathed and peace-tied at all times, with blades covered
Weapons policy
No firearms allowed, including realistic-looking toy guns. All other weapons must be sheathed and peace-tied at all times, they cannot be removed from their holster, and blades must be covered
Joining in
An immersive recreation of the 16th-century English village of Albright with more than 600 artisans, entertainers, and educational demonstrations, jousting demonstrated twice daily at the Joust Arena, interactive village characters like the Lord Mayor and his wife, escape artists and circus acts built on audience participation, and a reserved-ticket tasting program spanning mead, beer, wine, whisky, rum, tea, cocktails, and mocktails
Getting there
Nearest airport MSY.
How do I get to Louisiana Renaissance Festival?
By train 1
Hammond has its own Amtrak station at 404 N.W. Railroad Avenue, downtown, the only Louisiana stop on the daily Chicago-New Orleans City of New Orleans line. Arriving via New Orleans, the train leaves from Union Passenger Terminal downtown (a rideshare from MSY, not an airport rail link) and reaches Hammond in about an hour; the festival grounds are then a 10-15 minute taxi or rideshare east of the station. One train runs daily in each direction, so check that the timetable fits the festival's 8:45 AM, 5:00 PM weekend hours before relying on it for a day trip
Book / info →By bus 1
Intercity coaches from across the Gulf South arrive at New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (1001 Loyola Ave), the same building as Amtrak, from there the Hammond train or a ~45-mile rideshare completes the trip. No scheduled intercity coach stop in Hammond itself was confirmed, so treat New Orleans as the coach gateway
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare 1
The festival grounds sit just east of Hammond off I-12 Exit 42, about 45 miles from MSY, a 45-55 minute drive. Taxis wait curbside at baggage claim and both rideshare apps operate throughout the Northshore. The festival's own advice for skipping the parking line: take a rideshare or designated driver from the nearby Robert-area RV resorts, which drops you near the front gates
Book / info →🅿 Parking
On site parking available. Cost Free. Prepay via None, all parking is free, no prepay system. Signed festival routes lead in from I-12 Exit 42. Lines build on peak weekend mornings, the festival itself suggests a rideshare or designated driver from the nearby Robert-area RV resorts, which drops off near the front gates
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at MSY
The most flexible option for fly-in visitors: the grounds are a 45-mile highway run from MSY with free parking on arrival, and a car lets you combine festival weekends with New Orleans or Baton Rouge, each about an hour away in opposite directions
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Festival grounds, 46468 River Rd
Camping & Accommodation
Is there camping at Louisiana Renaissance Festival?
Yes, on site camping is available.
Facilities
Camping site types 1
RV spots come at 15 amp, 30 amp (rigs 30 ft or smaller), and 50 amp (all sizes); no water hookups or sewage dump on site. Weekend camping passes run roughly $25-90 depending on spot type, one price covers the whole weekend (up to four people per spot), and festival admission must be purchased in the same transaction
Pricing
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