by Hanna Singh
For the past 11 years, I’ve been attending festivals across Louisiana.
From gumbo cook-offs and food festivals to music jams and parades in New Orleans, I’ve experienced a little bit of it all. But there’s just something special about the Peach Festival. Even leading up to the event, I love the excitement and mystery of the Peach Hunt, the delicious peach-inspired dishes at local restaurants and watching peaches pop up all over town in anticipation of festival day. And when the day finally arrives, you know it’s going to be filled with fun from sunup to sundown. After all these years, I can still say that the Peach Festival never ceases to be one of my favorite weekends of the year.
When I first started attending the Peach Festival, I came as an out-of-towner. But in my years of living in Ruston, I’ve discovered that experiencing it as a local is twice the fun. I’ve learned there’s a certain technique to making sure you soak up all the peachy fun, and this year might have been my best year yet. The week before the festival, my kids and I spent each day searching for the peach. Casually, of course, because we know several hundred others are on the hunt as well.
We checked the clue each morning and drove to new locations, peeking under tables and walking down trails. Not once have we even come close! But we always enjoy the adventure. I also love trying all the peachy treats around town. This year, I tried a peach matcha from Common Goods and the Peach Charcuterie Board from The Local. As someone whose favorite fruit is peaches, this is quite literally my dream culinary week.
On Peach Fest day, we hit the town early. My itinerary always starts uptown at the car show. This is mostly for my son, who enjoys picking out which retro vehicle is going to be his “new ride.” After a good look around, we make our way downtown toward the rest of the festival, stopping at every booth and attraction along the way. We passed by the soon-to-be Delta Biscuit Co. and got to try some peach cobbler lemonade and biscuits with peach jam, pretty much the perfect morning snack. We sat in Railroad Park and listened to music while waiting on friends, then headed over to my kids’ favorite part of the festival, Kids Alley.
This is something I especially love about Peach Fest, a whole section dedicated to the kiddos. It’s full of fun, free and creative activities that keep the kiddos entertained all morning. Having something for people of all ages is what really sets the festival apart for me.
After working up an appetite in Kids Alley, we grabbed a snack and headed to my favorite part of the festival. While I love the music, food and activities, the highlight of the day for me is browsing the local artists and creators in the market. I have to resist the urge to spend the rest of the day shopping. This year, I bought a print of the Dixie Theater from Ragan Thorne to hang in my office, along with a basket full of peaches to last me through the week.
Now, here’s my biggest tip for surviving the rest of a hot summer festival day, go home and take a nap. With two kids, I highly recommend splitting Peach Fest into two parts; morning shopping and playing, then afternoon partying. After a good nap and a little air conditioning, we were ready for round two.
We changed into comfy clothes, packed a picnic blanket and headed back downtown for the music. As if we hadn’t eaten enough already, we got some nachos, peach boba and peach ice cream to enjoy while watching the bands play. Then, after the sun went down, we stretched out on our blanket and watched the fireworks while the kids danced and played in the grass.
If there’s a best way to experience the Peach Festival, I think we figured it out. But knowing Peach Fest, there will definitely be something new for us to discover next year.
