Caddo Parish Louisiana State Fair Festival
Each autumn, the Louisiana State Fairgrounds on Hudson Avenue in Shreveport fills with the movement and sound of a fair that has been part of northwest Louisiana life for well over a century. The catalogue name for the gathering is the Caddo Parish Louisiana State Fair Festival, while the name printed on the fair’s own pages and in local coverage is the State Fair of Louisiana, with Louisiana State Fair and The State Fair of Louisiana appearing as well.
The 2026 edition, billed the 120th Annual, ran from October 29 through November 15, 2026, across fourteen operating days, with the gates closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and hours running from eleven in the morning to nine or ten in the evening. This article sets out what the fair is, where it sits, how its 2026 edition was arranged, and how to plan a visit around the next edition.
About
The State Fair of Louisiana is a parish fair in the fullest sense: a multi-week gathering joining the agricultural life of Caddo Parish and the wider region with the amusements of a travelling midway. Shreveport, the host town, is the parish seat of Caddo Parish, and the fairgrounds sit within the city on Hudson Avenue, close to downtown and the other civic landmarks of the parish seat.
The fair’s own organisation runs the event, and no single organiser name form distinct from the fair’s name is printed in the layers read. The fair itself is the organisation, and its own pages and schedule documents are the governing record for dates, hours and programme. State Fair of Louisiana is the dominant printed name, while Louisiana State Fair and The State Fair of Louisiana also appear in layers. The catalogue form with Festival appended is never printed, so the body of this article uses the published name and says so plainly.
The 2026 edition shows the shape of the modern fair: midway and carnival rides, livestock shows and a premium book, live entertainment, and the Freedom 250 Ferris wheel as a 2026 feature. The LRCA Finals Rodeo ran from October 30 through November 1, 2026, giving the opening weekend its own anchor event. Admission for 2026 carried a useful wrinkle: general admission was free until three in the afternoon on weekdays, per local layers reporting the fair’s schedule, and parking was free throughout, per the fair’s own and local layers. Advance discount tickets also exist, per the fair’s own layer, although their prices were not captured in the layers read and are not stated here. An early weekday arrival therefore gives time for the livestock barns and exhibits before the midway gathers its evening crowd.
For a useful comparison, see the Caddo Parish Louisiana Highland Jazz and Blues Festival for another county festival.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail |
| Host town | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Parish seat | Shreveport is the seat of Caddo Parish |
| Venue | Louisiana State Fairgrounds, Hudson Avenue, Shreveport |
| Published name | State Fair of Louisiana |
| 2026 edition | 120th Annual, October 29 through November 15, 2026 |
| Operating days | Fourteen days, closed Mondays and Tuesdays |
| Hours | Eleven in the morning to nine or ten in the evening |
| Rodeo | LRCA Finals Rodeo, October 30 through November 1, 2026 |
| Admission | Free until three in the afternoon on weekdays; free parking throughout |
| Origins | Dates back to 1906 |
History
The fair dates back to 1906, per a regional news layer, which makes it one of the older continuing fairs in the state. No founding year is derived from the 120th Annual billing for 2026; the year 1906 is stated in the layer itself, and the article rests on that statement rather than on arithmetic from the billing. The fair’s own organisation has kept the event running through more than a century of change, and the 2026 billing as the 120th Annual is itself a measure of that continuity.
The recent record is documented in the fair’s own layers. The 117th edition ran from October 26 through November 12, 2023, per the fair’s own layer, and the 120th Annual followed in 2026. The fair’s premium book prints October 28 through November 15, 2026, a date range kept unmerged with the October 29 start in the schedule layers; the October 28 start is a printed variant, not a separate fair.
That long run has kept the fair’s agricultural core intact. Livestock shows and the premium book remain central to the programme, and the premium book itself is a fair tradition: a published record of the livestock classes, entries and awards that gives the show barns their structure. Around that core, the midway, the rodeo and live entertainment have grown into the parts of the fair most visitors remember, and the 2026 Freedom 250 Ferris wheel shows how each year adds a fresh feature to a familiar frame. Other state fairs and other Louisiana fairs are different events. What belongs here is the Shreveport fair alone: a parish institution that dates back to 1906, that reached its 117th edition in 2023 and its 120th Annual in 2026, and that still gathers the parish each autumn on Hudson Avenue.
What to Expect
The midway sets the pace of a visit. Carnival rides and fair food fill the central ground, and the Freedom 250 Ferris wheel is the 2026 fair’s tallest landmark, a slow-turning vantage point over the fairgrounds. The midway is busiest in the evening, when the lights come on and the hours stretch toward nine or ten, while the daytime hours belong more to families and to the livestock barns.
Livestock shows give the fair its working heart. Exhibitors bring animals to the show barns under the rules set out in the premium book, and the judging and display of livestock carry the agricultural purpose that has defined the fair since it dates back to 1906. The barns are a quieter corner of the fairgrounds, where the pace slows and the talk turns to breeding, feeding and showmanship. The LRCA Finals Rodeo anchors the opening weekend, running from October 30 through November 1, 2026, and live entertainment fills the stages through the run. The rodeo brings its own crowd, and fourteen operating days give visitors room to choose between a rodeo evening and a quieter weekday afternoon.
Planning Your Visit
Weekday afternoons carry a clear advantage at the State Fair of Louisiana. General admission was free until three in the afternoon on weekdays in 2026, per local layers reporting the fair’s schedule, and parking was free throughout the run, so an early arrival costs little and buys the calmest hours. The livestock barns and exhibits reward that early start, and the midway gathers its energy later in the day.
The fair’s calendar needs a careful read. The 2026 edition ran from October 29 through November 15, 2026, across fourteen operating days, with Mondays and Tuesdays closed. The fair’s premium book prints October 28 through November 15, 2026, and that range is kept unmerged with the October 29 start printed in the schedule layers, so visitors should treat the schedule layers as the governing dates and check the fair’s own pages before travelling. Advance discount tickets exist, per the fair’s own layer, although their prices were not captured in the layers read. The fairgrounds sit on Hudson Avenue within the city, easy to reach from downtown and the surrounding parishes. Choose a weekday for the free early hours and the quieter barns, or the opening weekend for the rodeo and the fullest midway.
A Sample Itinerary
A good day at the fair begins soon after the gates open at eleven in the morning. Start at the livestock barns, where the premium book classes are on display and the exhibitors are at work, and take time to walk the show areas before the midway crowds build. The morning hours are the fair at its most unhurried.
Move to the exhibits as the afternoon warms, then take lunch among the food vendors before the midway fills. The middle of the day suits a slow circuit: the livestock awards, the vendor rows, and a first ride or two while the lines are still short. As the afternoon turns toward evening, climb aboard the Freedom 250 Ferris wheel for the view across the fairgrounds, then settle in for live entertainment as the lights come on. If the visit falls on the opening weekend, the LRCA Finals Rodeo runs from October 30 through November 1, 2026, and an evening at the rodeo is the natural close to the day. Leave the midway for last, when the rides are at their brightest, and plan the drive home around the nine or ten o’clock close.
How the Fair Compares
A parish fair of this scale stands apart from a single-weekend town festival. The State Fair of Louisiana runs for fourteen operating days, with a midway, livestock shows, a premium book, live entertainment and a rodeo, while a smaller festival usually fills one weekend with a single theme and a handful of events. The fair’s length is its defining feature: visitors can return on different days for different parts of the programme.
The rodeo sets the fair apart as well. The LRCA Finals Rodeo is a championship event in its own right, and its place in the opening weekend gives the fair a sporting anchor that most parish festivals do not carry. Livestock shows add a second anchor, and the premium book gives the agricultural side of the fair a formal structure that a street festival or a music weekend simply does not have. At the same time, the fair shares the plain pleasures of any Louisiana gathering: food vendors, live music, a midway and an evening crowd. The difference is one of depth rather than kind.
A Visitor Checklist
- Check the fair’s own schedule pages before travelling: the premium book prints October 28, the schedule layers October 29, for the 2026 start.
- Remember that the fair is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during its run.
- Arrive before three in the afternoon on a weekday for the free admission window reported for 2026.
- Allow time for the livestock barns and the premium book classes, not just the midway.
- Plan around the LRCA Finals Rodeo, October 30 through November 1, 2026, if the rodeo is the draw.
- Save the Freedom 250 Ferris wheel for the evening, when the fairgrounds are lit.
- Use the free parking reported for the fairgrounds rather than hunting for a space elsewhere.
- Confirm advance discount ticket details through the fair’s own pages.
Beyond the Fairgrounds
Shreveport rewards a longer stay. The parish seat sits on the Red River, and its downtown carries the civic and commercial life of Caddo Parish within easy reach of the fairgrounds on Hudson Avenue. A fair visit can stretch into a walk through downtown, a meal in the parish seat, and a look at the riverfront.
The wider parish offers its own reasons to linger. Caddo Parish holds the fair each autumn, and the fairgrounds are a landmark of that rhythm, where the parish gathers year after year. Visitors who come for the midway and the rodeo often find the fair is also a way into the parish: the livestock traditions, the show barns and the community that keeps the event running. Its roots in 1906, its 120th Annual billing in 2026, and its fourteen operating days all speak to a gathering that has earned its place in the parish calendar.
Why the Fair Matters
A fair that dates back to 1906 carries a weight that a new event cannot borrow. The State Fair of Louisiana has gathered Caddo Parish each autumn for well over a century, and its 120th Annual edition in 2026 is a marker of continuity rather than a novelty. The livestock shows and the premium book keep the fair tied to the agricultural life of the parish, while the midway, the rodeo and live entertainment keep it open to everyone.
The fair matters because it holds those two purposes together. It is a showcase for the parish’s farmers and exhibitors and a celebration for the families who fill the midway, and the fairgrounds on Hudson Avenue give both purposes a shared home. Fourteen operating days, a rodeo finals weekend, free weekday early hours and free parking all serve the same end: a fair that as many people as possible can reach and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some listings show the fair starting on October 28, 2026?
The premium book prints October 28 through November 15, 2026, while the schedule layers print an October 29 start. The two ranges are kept unmerged in the record, and the premium book’s October 28 start is a printed variant, not a separate fair. Treat the schedule layers as the governing dates.
What should a first-time visitor see before the midway?
The livestock barns and the premium book classes give the fair its working heart, and they reward an early visit before the midway crowds build. The barns show the agricultural purpose behind the event, a tradition that has defined the fair since it dates back to 1906.
How does the LRCA Finals Rodeo fit into the fair?
The LRCA Finals Rodeo ran from October 30 through November 1, 2026, as part of the fair’s opening weekend, and it serves as the fair’s sporting anchor. Plan around those dates for the rodeo; the rest of the fourteen operating days carry the midway, the livestock shows and live entertainment.
What admission terms applied in 2026?
General admission was free until three in the afternoon on weekdays, per local layers reporting the fair’s schedule, and parking was free throughout the run. Advance discount tickets exist, per the fair’s own layer, although their prices were not captured in the layers read.
What to Expect From the Next Caddo Parish Louisiana State Fair Festival
How often is Caddo Parish Louisiana State Fair Festival held?
The fair returns each autumn to the Louisiana State Fairgrounds in Shreveport, and the 2026 edition was billed the 120th Annual. The fair’s own organisation keeps the event on that seasonal pattern.
When is the next Caddo Parish Louisiana State Fair Festival?
The layers read carry the 2026 edition, October 29 through November 15, 2026, with the premium book printing October 28 as its start, and they carry no dates beyond that edition. The next edition’s dates rest on a future announcement, so visitors should watch the fair’s own pages for the coming autumn’s schedule.
Will the dates change?
Dates have shifted before, as the 2023 and 2026 editions show, and the two printed start dates for 2026 show that even a single edition can carry a variant. The fair’s autumn place in the calendar is steady, while the exact opening day can move, so confirming the announced dates before travelling is the safest course.
The State Fair of Louisiana remains what it has been since it dates back to 1906: a parish fair that gathers Caddo Parish each autumn on the fairgrounds on Hudson Avenue in Shreveport, with livestock and a premium book at its core and a midway and a rodeo at its edges. The 120th Annual edition showed the fair in full, and the next edition will bring the same grounds and the autumn rhythm.
