Weekend events offer parade, bonfires, crafts

No Christmas in Louisiana would be complete without a parade, and downtown Baton Rouge’s is a doozy, with dozens of brightly lit floats and fire trucks winding their way through the streets. This Saturday marks the 59th anniversary of this holiday tradition, sponsored by the Cortana Kiwanis. Floats, bands, horses and fun await parade-goers. You might even spot Santa if you look close enough. The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. on River Road, in front of the River Center. For more details and a map, click here. And Friday through Sunday, the Lutcher levees in St. James Parish will light up for miles, not with twinkling Christmas lights but with roaring bonfires. The age-old tradition is a famous one. The spectacle will be enhanced with food, live entertainment, arts and crafts, and carnival rides. For more information, go to festivalofthebonfires.org. And from 3-6 p.m. Sunday you and your children can join staff members at Magnolia Mound as they celebrate a truly old-fashioned Creole-French Christmas. The fun includes traditional games; French and Spanish music, performed by Baton Rouge’s South Boulevard Elementary Foreign Language Immersion Magnet; dancing by the Louisiane Vintage Dancers; and demonstrations of traditional skills such as weaving, cooking, and soap and basket making. A bonfire ends this evening of traditional holiday pastimes. For more local events to enliven your weekend, visit 225 Select here.