Events in Baton Rouge for Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2026 | Entertainment/Life

The following is a calendar of community events in the Baton Rouge area from Friday through Thursday, Jan. 1.

FRIDAY-TUESDAY

LOUISIANA LIGHTS: half-hour start times between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., closes 10 p.m. Windrush Gardens, LSU Rural Life Museum, 4560 Essen Lane. Elaborate holiday display where you can wander through enchanting garden rooms illuminated with dazzling lights, where nature blends with artistry. General admission, $24.76; kids 3 and younger, free. https://www.lsu.edu/rurallife/.

ZOO LIGHTS: 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. (admission gates close at 8 p.m.), Baton Rouge Zoo, 3000 Zoo Circle, Baker. Presented by Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health. Magical wonderland of twinkling lights and animal encounters. Adults/teens, $5; seniors, $4; Zoo members, $3 per person; children (2-12), $3; children (1 and younger), free. brec.org.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS: nightly, Baton Rouge General-Bluebonnet, 8785 Picardy Ave. Thousands of sparkling lights, festive music and a few surprises. Park in the Bluebonnet campus slots near display. Free.

THE MERRIEST MILE: 6 p.m.-10 p.m., Livingston Parish Fairgrounds, 19869 Fairgrounds Road. Christmas light drive-thru event synchronized to holiday music. $30 and up per vehicle.​

SATURDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m.-noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

STEM EXPANSION (FALL): 2:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., BREC Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road. Advanced demonstrations, topic extensions, and all-new games and activities for ages 12-16. This month’s focus: archaeology. $15. Register at brec.org.

SUNDAY

BATON ROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6 p.m.-8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. A chance to play and learn; all levels welcome. Free. 

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 18303 Perkins Road. Collect your team and jockey for first place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

BATON ROUGE ZYDECO VS. TOPEKA SCARECROWS (ICE HOCKEY): 7 p.m., Raising Cane’s River Center Arena, 275 S. River Road. $25. raisingcanesrivercenter.com.

ONGOING

ART GUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd. “A Holiday Retrospective — AGL Member Show 2025,” through Jan. 8. (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.org.

BATON ROUGE GALLERY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive. “Surreal Salon 18,” with special guest juror SWOON,” Jan 2-25. batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “Billy Cannon: They Called Him Legend,” through Jan. 10. “Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation,” “The Louisiana Experience: Discovering the Soul of America,” “African American History,” “Music and Musicians” and “Mardi Gras,” permanent exhibits. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. “Continuum” by David Bruner, through Jan. 10. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. artsbr.org.

ELIZABETHAN GALLERY: 680 Jefferson Highway. Group show. Call (225) 924-6437 or follow the gallery’s Facebook page.

THE GALLERY AT MANSHIP: 100 Lafayette St. “A New Frame of Mind,” group exhibition that challenges the traditional role of the picture frame. through Jan. 31. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Crossroads & Connections: A Century of the Railway in Baton Rouge,” now in the Republic Finance Gallery. “Landscapes Along the Railway: The Art of John Cleaveland,” Soupçon Gallery; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” Discovery Gallery; and “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” Colonnade Gallery. (225) 344-5272 or lasm.org.

LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “The Sculpture of Scott, Payton, Hayden, and Bechet,” through Jan. 25. “A Bayou State of Mind,” highlighted by the exhibition “The Bayou Collection,” a series of 40 paintings by George Rodrigue, through Jan. 4. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.

MANSHIP THEATRE JONES WALKER FOYER: 100 Lafayette St. “Composition-Color-Pattern” by artist Kevin Babb, through Wednesday. Free and open during regular Shaw Center building hours unless there is a private event.

LSU TEXTILE & COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, Tower Drive, LSU campus. “Dressing Louisiana Histoires de la mode de la Louisiane,” through March 6. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu.edu.

MAGNOLIA MOUND MUSEUM + HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive. Guided and self-guided tours. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound.

OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION: 502 North Blvd. Open for tours. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATE CAPITOL: 100 North Blvd. Free. The museum is closed for annual cyclical maintenance and will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

 louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displays of a variety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and naval military history. Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs. usskidd.com.

WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. “An American War in Vietnam,” through Tuesday. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.