Louisiana s Holiday Trail of Lights Announces Details of 2012

							For More Information
Sarah McKinney-Williams, Communication Coordinator
Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau
(318) 429-0645 or swilliams@sbctb.org


July 24, 2012


Louisiana’s Holiday Trail of Lights Announces Details of 2012 Holiday Season
 Through partnership, five regions of Louisiana promote season’s festivals, markets and events


Details of holiday events planned for five regions of northern Louisiana – Alexandria-Pineville,
Minden, Monroe-West Monroe, Natchitoches and Shreveport-Bossier City – were announced at
a news conference, today, at the Barnwell Garden and Art Center in downtown Shreveport. The
2012 Holiday Trail of Lights will offer a growing roster of events that includes popular festivals,
holiday markets, live music events and more in each of the five regions.


New this year, each of the eight cities in the five regions will display a 18-foot-tall LED sign
welcoming visitors and promoting awareness of the Holiday Trail of Lights. The signs feature
the trail’s logo and will be located at both state welcome centers on I-20 and at various
attractions in the partner cities.


The group also worked collaboratively on a new event “Turn on the Holidays: A Bicentennial
Celebration,” Nov. 17 in historic downtown Natchitoches featuring live entertainment by
Grammy®-nominated and Louisiana native Tab Benoit, accompanied by bands and special
performances representing each of the five regions. In addition to live entertainment, there will
be a marketplace featuring artisans from each of the regions, as well as kid-friendly activities
throughout the day.


Alexandria-Pineville’s holiday season begins, Oct. 25-27, with A Very Merry Market, an
annual shopping extravaganza presented by the Junior League of Alexandria. Christmas lights
will be switched-on beginning Thursday, Nov. 29, kicking off the city’s annual “12 Nights of
Christmas” celebration. Holidays in the Heart, a weekend-long event featuring parades, shopping
and live entertainment, will take place Dec. 7-9.
Minden will celebrate its German heritage, Nov. 10-11, at the annual Fasching Fifth Season
Festival. This unique festival offers up German food, a beer exhibition, historic tours and
fireworks. On Tuesday, Dec. 4, “Wrap It Up Downtown” will invite shoppers to explore the
antique shops and specialty stores found in Minden’s historic, brick-paved downtown.


Monroe-West Monroe’s Christmas on the River celebration will return with a lighting
ceremony, Nov. 24. A busy schedule of holiday offerings will take place each weekend through
Dec. 17. Highlights include the Bawcomville Redneck Parade, Dec.1; the Louisiana Cattlemen’s
Chili Cook-Off, Dec. 8; and “Old-Fashioned Christmas,” a unique shopping experience in
Antique Alley, Dec. 15.


Natchitoches’ Festival of Lights will mark 86 years of celebrating the Christmas season
beginning at the Nov.17 “Turn on the Holidays” event, an entire day of free entertainment that
has been designated an official Bicentennial Celebration by the Louisiana Department of
Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Snow Fest weekends, featuring children’s activities and
vendors as well as the “Frosty’s Avalanche Slide” ride, will be held Nov. 23-24 and Dec. 14-16.
Natchitoches’ Festival of Lights season runs Nov. 17-Jan. 6, 2013.


Shreveport-Bossier’s holiday celebrations kick-off with the lighting of a 40-foot Christmas tree
at the Louisiana Boardwalk on Thursday, Nov. 15. Christmas in Roseland, featuring more than
one million lights adorning the Gardens of the American Rose Center, will run Fridays,
Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 23-Dec. 23. New this year, local Tour Guide Jan Pettiet will host
Candlelight Christmas Tours, Dec. 6-7 and Dec. 13-14.


To create an emailable itinerary of Holiday Trail of Lights events, see photos from past events or
sign up for e-mail alerts, visit www.holidaytrailoflights.com. Holiday Trail of Lights information
can also be found on Facebook by searching “Holiday Trail of Lights.”


For more information, contact Sarah McKinney-Williams, communication coordinator at the
Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, at swilliams@sbctb.org or (318) 429-0645.