Natchitoches Christmas Festival

The Christmas festival is expanded throughout the community each year but is centered on the historic district of Natchitoches.

The festival is a major tourist attraction for the area, drawing an estimated 100,000 visitors annually.

It can be difficult to find a hotel, pushing many visitors into neighboring cities such as Winnfield and Alexandria.

Country music singer Frank Foster was the Grand Marshal for 2013, appearing in the parade and giving a performance on December 7, along with the Northwestern State University Marching Band, several high school marching bands, dance teams from around Louisiana, the winners of local beauty pageants including Miss Merry Christmas and the Christmas Belles, and, of course, Santa Claus.

Schools as far away as Beaumont, Texas, have been known to send their marching bands to participate in the parade.

Though many civic leaders have promoted the Christmas Festival, there is a monument on the riverwalk to Charles P. "Charlie" Solomon (1907-1995), called "Mr. Christmas Lights" in Natchitoches , Louisiana