Courtesy of Ruston Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau
The 74th Annual Louisiana Peach Festival presented by b1BANK will take place on Saturday, June 1, 2024 in Downtown Ruston. This event will span from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. and feature 12+ hours of live music, more than 100 food and arts vendors, interactive kids’ activities and performances, fresh peaches, peachy treats, a parade and more.
This year’s festival theme is “Everyone’s Invited to the Louisiana Peach Festival”. This theme coordinates with the festival being an entirely free event this year.
“We are thrilled to be extending free admission to the entire day and hope this will enhance the festival experience for our attendees,” said Amanda Carrier, President & CEO of the Ruston Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau.
In 2023, the festival drew 24,000+ attendees from all over the region and provided more than 2 million dollars of economic impact to the area. This impact is felt by local businesses, restaurants, and hotels, as well as area makers and artists that set up vendor booths at the event.
“In addition to being a fantastic celebration of local art and culture, the Peach Festival is also a huge economic driver for our downtown merchants and restaurants, and businesses across the parish,” said Amy Stegall, Ruston Main Street Director.
See below for the schedule of events for the 74th Annual Louisiana Peach Festival on June 1.
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Peach Arts Market – Discover art, handmade items, and homemade goods from local artists, artisans, and makers. Located in Sexton Lot across from Railroad Park and E Park Avenue.
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Kids Alley: An Art Experience – Kids of all ages can enjoy hands-on art activities and crafts on W Mississippi Ave., along with interactive performances and demonstrations on the Kids Alley stage.
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.: Live Performances on the Railroad Park Stage including Russ-Town Band, Clara Rae, Beaux Atkins, Jhaiya Davis, Josh Love, Hali Brown, Hidden Tracks, Tipsey, LVVRS, and the 2024 headliner – The Band of Heathens.
Other offsite peach events will also be taking place during the week leading up to the festival. These events include Peach Hunt, Peach Culinary Crawl, Peach Art Exhibit, Peachy Sidewalk Sales, Peach Cookery Contest, Peach Parade, Run for the Peaches 5k, Peach Pickleball Tournament, Peach Beard Contest, Ruston Antique Classic Car Show, Ruston Farmers Market, Peach Baby Photo Contest, Queen Dixie Gem Peach and Princess Peach Pageant, and the Peach Rodeo. For a full list of events, please visit www.lapeachfest.com/schedule.
Official 2024 Peach Festival merchandise will be available for purchase at the Ruston Visitors Center two weeks before the festival. This year’s merchandise offerings include t-shirts (12M– 4XL), posters, bucket hats, and stickers. All festival merchandise will also be available at the festival on June 1.
The Peach Festival is still seeking volunteers. Those interested in volunteering can view the volunteer slots that are still open and sign up at www.lapeachfest.com/volunteers.
For more information on the Louisiana Peach Festival, visit www.lapeachfest.com or contact 318-255-2031.
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About the Louisiana Peach Festival
The Louisiana Peach Festival is the longest-running agricultural festival in the state of Louisiana, dating back to 1951. The festival was created by area peach farmers as a way to promote their industry throughout the south. Over the years, the Peach Festival has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to Lincoln Parish and pumped millions back into the local economy. The festival is produced in partnership by the City of Ruston, Downtown Ruston, and Experience Ruston.
