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Downtown Lafayette will become the perfect destination for lovers of Christmas this December. In an effort to spread seasonal joy throughout the Acadiana region, DLU has committed to creating a month-long series of family-friendly holiday events in Downtown Lafayette. The seasonal celebration, called “A Merry & Bright Downtown Christmas” will feature a Christmas tree decorating contest, multiple concerts, a competition for best holiday window display, pictures with Santa, horse-drawn carriage rides, and a “North Pole” installation in Parc International—all taking place throughout the month of December.
Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, the organization known for producing the Downtown Alive! Friday night concert series, has made a commitment to creating more family-friendly events in Downtown Lafayette. A Merry & Bright Downtown Christmas will join events like Movies in the Parc, the Downtown Sno-Ball Festival, and the DTA! Kids Zone as the next DLU project to provide opportunities for the whole family to enjoy all that Downtown Lafayette has to offer.
“We are extremely excited to announce that DLU will contribute significant time, effort, and money towards providing another one-of-a-kind family-friendly experience,” said Jason Matt, President of Downtown Lafayette Unlimited. “Christmas is a wonderful season that brings together family and friends who spread cheer and give thanks for the many blessings we have. Thanks to continued support for Downtown by our community, through attending fundraisers like Downtown Alive!, it is now possible for us to make Downtown Lafayette your Christmas destination.”
In order to make Downtown Lafayette a destination for Christmas, DLU is working to transform the city center into a beacon of holiday cheer. Parc International will be converted into the “North Pole of Downtown,” with giant decorations, string lights, a 24-foot-tall Christmas tree, and larger-than-life ornaments big enough to walk through. Many of the shops and businesses of Downtown will convert their storefronts into a “Window Wonderland” featuring installations curated by local artists. And a grove of live Christmas trees—decorated by families, business, and organizations from throughout Acadiana—will fill Parc International.
“We are ending 2019 with another first: Downtown Lafayette becoming a Christmas destination,” said Maureen Dugas Foster, Director of Downtown Lafayette Unlimited. “I’m particularly excited about the Christmas Tree Extravaganza, because we are bringing together a diverse array of businesses, organizations, and community members who will each aid in the creation of a magical holiday wonderland. Downtown is the heart of our city and our region and an events like the Extravaganza offer an opportunity for our community to truly come together.”
Merry & Bright Downtown Christmas begins with three events on the weekend of December 6-8. Things kick-off on Friday, December 6th, with a free concert called, “Christmas with the Boss” which will feature music by Keith Frank and The Pine Leaf Boys in addition to the lighting of the official Christmas tree of Lafayette and an opportunity to meet and take photos with Santa Claus.
The Christmas Tree Extravaganza begins on Saturday, December 7th. The Extravaganza is a friendly Christmas tree decorating competition open to all businesses, organizations, families, and creative individuals throughout Acadiana. Participants will decorate trees to display throughout the holiday season in a grove at Parc International. Visitors to the Parc can vote on their favorite tree online and winners of the competition will be announced in a grand finale event on December 21st. Those interested in participating in the Extravaganza can find more information on the Extravaganza Kick-Off page.
The annual Sonic Christmas Parade rolls through Downtown on Sunday, December 8th. The parade is held annually and marks the “official” arrival of Santa in Lafayette. Santa will be on a float on the parade and children are encouraged to bring their letters for Santa to mail to the North Pole. After the parade, DLU will host an after-party at Parc International with live music, drinks, hot cocoa, and pictures with Santa.
Christmas with the Boss, the Christmas Tree Extravaganza, and the Sonic Christmas Parade are just the first three events in a month-long season of holiday activities in Downtown Lafayette. Other events include a CycleBar Tacky Sweater Pop-Up, the 2nd annual Downtown Candlelight Christmas concert, an ArtWalk Christmas art market, a Santa Pub Crawl, a special Christmas edition of Movies in the Parc, and many more. The list below represents each event that Downtown Lafayette Unlimited will host or partner to produce.
“North Pole of Downtown” Installation
December 6 – 21 | Parc International
Christmas Tree Extravaganza
December 7 – 21 | Parc International
Downtown Window Wonderland
November 29 – January 4 | Jefferson Street + various locations Downtown
Christmas with the Boss
Friday, December 6 | 5:00 – 9:00 PM | Parc International
Christmas Tree Extravaganza Kick-Off
Saturday, December 7 | Parc International | 4:00 – 9:00 PM
Sonic Christmas Parade
Sunday, December 8 | Jefferson Street | 1:00 PM
Sonic Christmas Parade After-Party
Sunday, December 8 | Parc International | 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Pictures with Santa
Friday, December 6 | Parc International | 5:00 – 9:00 PM
Saturday, December 7 | Parc International | 4:00 – 8:30 PM
Sunday, December 8 | Parc International | 2:00 – 5:00 PM
Wednesday, December 11 | Parc International | 5:00 – 8:30 PM
Saturday, December 14 | Parc International | 4:00 – 8:30 PM
Wednesday, December 18 | Parc International | 5:00 – 8:30 PM
Saturday, December 21 | Parc International | 4:00 – 6:00 PM
ArtWalk Holiday Market
Saturday, December 14 | Parc International | 4:00 – 9:00 PM
Tacky Sweater CycleBar Pop-Up
Sunday, December 15 | Parc International | 9:00 AM
Downtown Candlelight Christmas
Thursday, December 19 | Parc International | 6:00 – 7:00 PM
Christmas Tree Extravaganza Finale (Winner Announced)
Saturday, December 21 | Parc International | 4:00 – 9:00 PM
Movies in the Parc Christmas Edition
Saturday, December 21 | Parc International | 6:00 – 9:00 PM
All Merry & Bright events and other Christmas events and activities hosted in Downtown will be listed on the Downtown Lafayette online events calendar.
Little did Acadiana know that on Friday, April 8th, 1983, history would be made in Downtown Lafayette. It all started when a group of people got together to try and figure out how to bring life into Downtown Lafayette. Downtown Development Director Cathy Webre and her team had a hunch – “Give them music, and they will come.” Downtown Alive! was then born on a tiny stage in the middle of Jefferson Street with a performance from Beausoleil.
Festival International de Louisiane is set to take over Downtown Lafayette this weekend, converting the city center into a world music mecca like no other. The streets will be packed with throngs of sandal clad weekend warriors—over 300,000 people attend the festival each year, coming from all over the country and around the globe. Everyone knows the bands they want to see and where the stage is, but there’s more to Festival than just the music. This guide to Festival International’s unofficial and off-the-beaten-path events will help you to get the most out of a full week of Downtown festivities.
Don’t miss out on the third annual Merry & Bright Holiday Series, presented by Lafayette Coca-Cola Bottling Co., happening Downtown this holiday season.The holiday season is a time to come together and celebrate the connection you have to your family, friends, and community. Part of Downtown Lafayette Unlimited’s mission is to foster a downtown district where this can happen, to serve as a gathering place for memories and traditions that stand the test of time.
After the success of both Chicken Sandwich Snackdown and Burger Battle Royale, we HAD to continue the fun competition amongst our Downtown neighbors. 16 Downtown restaurants will compete for the ultimate title: TACO TAKEDOWN CHAMPION.This exciting month-long food fight is a fundraiser for Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, with $1 per every taco sold going to our non-profit organization. Check out our Facebook and Instagram feeds to see who’s ready to knock-out the competition. Public voting begins August 15.
Lafayette, LA – Downtown Alive! announces their Fall lineup as they return to in-person programming this Fall in Parc International. This beloved community tradition pivoted to virtual programming throughout 2020 and Spring 2021 due to COVID-19 and managed to reach over 45,000 viewers in the Spring season alone thanks to supporters near and far.
Maker Faire Lafayette has opened online registration and announced the schedule of events for the week of April 5-10, 2021. This year’s event is presented by Lafayette Public Library, Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, and AOC Community Media.
It was like walking onto a Hallmark movie set for local artist Kelly Russo. Last year, downtown Lafayette took decorating for Christmas seriously, and along with it, came the Window Wonderland competition. Russo was one of 30 artists who decorated storefronts in hopes of winning and bringing Christmas cheer.
Lafayette, LA – Do you hear what we hear? Downtown Lafayette is becoming a Winter Wonderland once again this December. Downtown Lafayette Unlimited is producing “Merry & Bright,” a series of family-friendly holiday events in Downtown Lafayette sponsored by Lafayette Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The seasonal celebration includes a Christmas tree decorating contest, a concert featuring Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble, a competition for best holiday window display, a Candlelight Christmas featuring traditional carols, and a Movies In The Parc season finale —all taking place throughout December and following guidelines for safe outdoors events.
2019 was a transformative year for Downtown Lafayette, one that will mark the beginning of a new decade of momentum for the heart of Acadiana. Our organization has undergone exciting changes, beginning with the appointment of Anita Begnaud as the CEO of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Downtown Lafayette Unlimited (DLU) in October of 2018. Anita hit the ground running by reinvigorating DLU’s membership and programming efforts, hiring Maureen Dugas Foster as the first ever Director of DLU, and acting as the spokesperson for a list of catalytic projects in Downtown—from the renovation of the Old Federal Courthouse and the construction of Vermilion Lofts and Buchanan Heights, to efforts addressing Downtown’s pressing infrastructure issues.