LaSalle Parish Louisiana Fair Festival
Every autumn the fairgrounds on the northern edge of Olla fill with the sounds of a parish fair that has kept going longer than any other in Louisiana. The event most visitors know as the LaSalle Parish Fair, and which parish papers also bill as the North Central Louisiana District Fair, returns for four days each year, Wednesday through Saturday, with agricultural exhibits, small livestock, craft displays, carnival rides and a midway that draws families from across the parish. Its most recent dated edition, the 118th, ran from the fourteenth to the seventeenth of October in 2026. The fairgrounds sit next to Olla-Standard Elementary School in north Olla, and Olla has hosted this fair for generations. Established in 1908 as the Central Louisiana Free Fair, it has run continuously ever since, and the layers read recognise it as the oldest continuously running fair in Louisiana.
About
The gathering carries more than one printed name, and the sheet title is never printed exactly in the layers read. Parish papers and the parish journal print it as the LaSalle Parish Fair, while parish newspaper layers also use the longer form North Central Louisiana District Fair and the short form Olla Fair. This article uses the sheet title on its first line and in its closing outlook, and uses the published forms in the body. The host town is Olla, in LaSalle Parish, and the venue is the fairgrounds next to Olla-Standard Elementary School in north Olla. The midway and carnival attractions are presented by Mitchell Brothers Carnival Company, according to the parish journal layer, while no fair-board organiser form is documented in the layers read. The fair’s page carries carnival hours and specials. Admission carries no stated position in the layers read: no gate price or free status is given, and this article takes none. The programme is built around the work of the parish itself — agricultural exhibits, small livestock exhibits, woodworking, plants, clothing, arts and crafts, fair exhibits and contests with ribbons, carnival rides and concessions.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail |
| Event | LaSalle Parish Fair, also billed the North Central Louisiana District Fair and the Olla Fair |
| Host town | Olla, LaSalle Parish |
| Parish seat | Jena |
| Venue | Fairgrounds next to Olla-Standard Elementary School, north Olla |
| Most recent dated edition | 118th edition, 14–17 October 2026 |
| Schedule | Four days, Wednesday through Saturday |
| Midway | Presented by Mitchell Brothers Carnival Company |
| Exhibits | Agricultural exhibits, small livestock, woodworking, plants, clothing, arts and crafts |
| Contests | Fair exhibits and contests with ribbons |
| Admission | Unstated in the layers read |
History
The fair began in 1908 as the Central Louisiana Free Fair, serving Catahoula, Grant and Caldwell parishes at a time when LaSalle Parish did not yet exist. Two years later, in 1910, LaSalle Parish was carved from Catahoula Parish, and Winn Parish later joined the fair’s orbit. The name changed with the district it served, becoming the North Central Louisiana District Fair, and the shorter LaSalle Parish Fair form came into common use alongside it. Through those changes the event never lapsed, and the layers read recognise it as the oldest continuously running fair in Louisiana. The annual billings are printed as the layers print them: the 116th edition ran from the sixth to the ninth of November in 2024, the 117th annual edition ran from the fourteenth to the seventeenth of October in 2025, and the 118th edition ran from the fourteenth to the seventeenth of October in 2026. The calendar slot has moved between October and November in recent years, while the four-day shape has held steady. A gathering first organised when the parish itself was still taking shape has outlasted every other fair in the state, and it still opens its gates in the same town, on the same fairgrounds, with the same mix of exhibits, contests and carnival attractions that has defined it for more than a century.
What to Expect
Visitors arriving at the fairgrounds in north Olla find a working parish fair rather than a stage show. The exhibit halls hold the heart of the event: agricultural exhibits and small livestock exhibits show the farming life of LaSalle Parish, while woodworking, plants, clothing, arts and crafts fill the display tables with the handwork of parish residents. Fair exhibits and contests award ribbons across the categories, and the judging gives the halls a quiet competitive edge that regulars follow from year to year. Outside, the midway presented by Mitchell Brothers Carnival Company carries the noise and colour of the fair — carnival rides turning through the evening, concession stands serving fair food, and families moving between the rides and the halls. The four-day run gives the fair its rhythm: the opening day brings the first judging, and the final Saturday brings the largest crowds. The programme as printed in the layers read is consistent across the recent editions. The halls suit daylight; the midway comes alive after dark.
Planning Your Visit
A visit to the fair rewards a little preparation, and the most useful preparation is timing. The fair runs for four days, Wednesday through Saturday, and the most recent dated editions fell in October, with the 2024 edition running in November, so the calendar slot can move between those two months. Anyone planning a trip should look for the current edition’s dates before travelling, since the layers read carry no date beyond the 118th edition in October 2026. The fairgrounds sit next to Olla-Standard Elementary School in north Olla, and the town itself is small enough that the fairgrounds are easy to reach once in Olla. The fair’s page carries carnival hours and specials, and those are worth checking before arrival. Admission carries no stated position in the layers read, so visitors should not assume a gate charge or a free gate; the fair’s page is the place to confirm what applies to the current edition. Comfortable walking shoes matter, and an autumn visit can bring warm afternoons and cool evenings.
For a useful comparison, see the Lafourche Parish Louisiana Laurel Valley Fall Festival for another county festival.
A Sample Itinerary
A first visit works well across two days, with one day for the halls and one for the midway. Arrive on a weekday morning and start in the exhibit halls, where the agricultural exhibits and small livestock exhibits are at their freshest and the judging ribbons are newly placed. Move through the woodworking, plants, clothing, arts and crafts displays at an unhurried pace. Break for lunch at the concession stands, then spend the afternoon on the midway, where the carnival rides presented by Mitchell Brothers Carnival Company run through the afternoon and into the evening. A second day can repeat the halls in the morning and give the evening to the midway. Visitors with only a single day should arrive early, give the halls the morning, and keep the afternoon and evening for the midway and concessions. Saturday, the final day, brings the largest crowds and the fullest atmosphere, while the Wednesday opening and the middle days offer a quieter fair with more room in the halls and shorter waits at the rides.
How the Fair Compares
The fair stands apart from the other gatherings in LaSalle Parish by scale, history and purpose. The Olla Downtown Homecoming is a different event in the same town, and Howdy Neighbor Day in Jena is a different event in the parish seat, and the parish’s church fall festivals are separate events again; none of them carries the fair’s four-day run, its exhibit halls or its midway. The fair is a parish fair in the full sense, with agricultural exhibits, livestock, craft contests and carnival attractions gathered on one fairgrounds. Its history also sets it apart: established in 1908 as the Central Louisiana Free Fair and recognised as the oldest continuously running fair in Louisiana, it predates the parish it now serves, since LaSalle Parish was carved from Catahoula Parish only in 1910. Recent editions kept the four-day Wednesday-through-Saturday shape while the month shifted between October and November. Against other Louisiana parish fairs, the fair’s claim is endurance rather than size: it has run without a break for more than a century, and its mix of exhibits, contests and carnival attractions has remained recognisably the same across the generations that have kept it going.
Checklist
- Check the current edition’s dates before travelling, since recent editions have fallen in October and in November
- Confirm carnival hours and specials on the fair’s page before arrival
- Arrive early on a single-day visit to give the exhibit halls the morning
- Wear comfortable walking shoes for the fairgrounds, halls, livestock areas and midway
- Bring a layer for cool autumn evenings after warm afternoons
- Allow time for the exhibit halls as well as the midway, since the halls reward a slower pace
- Plan for the midway and concessions if visiting with children
- Expect the largest crowds on the final Saturday, and quieter halls on Wednesday and the middle days
- Remember that Olla hosts the fair while Jena is the parish seat
Beyond the Fairgrounds
The fair belongs to Olla, and Olla belongs to a parish whose life is written in timber, farmland and small towns. The fairgrounds next to Olla-Standard Elementary School sit at the northern edge of town, and the fair’s presence there each autumn is the most visible sign of a community that has kept a single gathering going since 1908. The fair’s history reaches back to a time when LaSalle Parish did not yet exist and the Central Louisiana Free Fair served Catahoula, Grant and Caldwell parishes, and that history lives on in the name North Central Louisiana District Fair. Beyond the fairgrounds, the parish’s other gatherings — the Olla Downtown Homecoming, Howdy Neighbor Day in Jena and the church fall festivals — fill the rest of the calendar with smaller community occasions, each distinct from the fair and each part of the same parish life.
Why the Fair Matters
The fair matters because it has endured. A gathering established in 1908, before its own parish existed, and still running more than a century later, is a rare thing in Louisiana, and the layers read recognise it as the oldest continuously running fair in the state. Its endurance is not an accident of the calendar but the result of a community that has kept returning to the same fairgrounds in Olla, year after year, to show its agricultural work, its livestock, its woodworking and crafts, and to award ribbons for the best of it. The fair also matters as a record of the parish itself: its founding as the Central Louisiana Free Fair serving three parishes, the carving of LaSalle Parish from Catahoula in 1910, the later joining of Winn Parish, and the name’s change to the North Central Louisiana District Fair all trace the changing shape of north Louisiana across the twentieth century. For visitors, it is the clearest window into the parish’s working life, and for the town of Olla it is the event that puts the town on the parish map each autumn.
Frequently Asked Questions
What sets this fair apart from other parish fairs across Louisiana?
Its unbroken run sets it apart. Established in 1908 as the Central Louisiana Free Fair, it has run continuously ever since, and the layers read recognise it as the oldest continuously running fair in Louisiana. The fair’s mix of agricultural exhibits, small livestock, craft contests and carnival attractions has remained recognisably the same across that long run.
Which name should visitors look for when they search for the fair?
Visitors should look for the LaSalle Parish Fair, the North Central Louisiana District Fair and the Olla Fair, since all three forms are printed in the layers read. The sheet title is never printed exactly, so searching only under that full form may miss the listings. The published forms are the names on posters, in the parish press and on the fair’s own page.
What can families see in the exhibit halls?
The halls hold agricultural exhibits, small livestock exhibits, woodworking, plants, clothing, arts and crafts, and fair exhibits and contests with ribbons. The displays show the farming and handwork of parish residents, and the judging ribbons mark the best of each category.
When during the week does the fair run?
The fair runs for four days, Wednesday through Saturday. The 116th edition ran from the sixth to the ninth of November in 2024, the 117th from the fourteenth to the seventeenth of October in 2025, and the 118th from the fourteenth to the seventeenth of October in 2026. Recent editions have fallen in October and in November, so the month can move even though the four-day Wednesday-to-Saturday shape has held steady.
What to Expect From the Next LaSalle Parish Louisiana Fair Festival
How often is LaSalle Parish Louisiana Fair Festival held?
The fair returns each year for four days, Wednesday through Saturday, on the fairgrounds next to Olla-Standard Elementary School in north Olla. Its most recent dated edition, the 118th, ran from the fourteenth to the seventeenth of October in 2026 The fair’s unbroken run since 1908 is the pattern visitors should expect: a yearly autumn gathering with agricultural exhibits, craft contests and a midway.
When is the next LaSalle Parish Louisiana Fair Festival?
The most recent dated edition in the layers read is the 118th edition, 14–17 October 2026, and the layers read carry no date for a following edition. Visitors planning ahead should watch the fair’s page, which carries carnival hours and specials for the current edition, and confirm the dates there before travelling.
Will the dates change?
Recent editions suggest the month can move. The 116th edition ran in November 2024, while the 117th and 118th editions ran in October 2025 and October 2026, so the calendar slot is not fixed to one month. The four-day Wednesday-through-Saturday run has held steady across those editions Checking the fair’s page before travelling is the surest way to confirm the dates of the next edition.
The LaSalle Parish Fair has kept its gates open since 1908, through a change of parish boundaries, a change of name and more than a century of Louisiana history, and it still opens each autumn on the fairgrounds in north Olla with the same honest shape: exhibit halls full of the parish’s work, ribbons on the best of it, livestock and crafts on display, and a midway that carries the fair into the evening. Visitors who come for the rides will find the halls, and visitors who come for the halls will find the rides, and both will find a fair that has earned its place as the oldest continuously running fair in Louisiana by the simplest measure of all — it has never stopped.
