Plaquemines Parish Louisiana Fair and Orange Festival
Every December, the lower end of Plaquemines Parish turns its attention to a brick fort on the river road, and the parish fair comes home to Buras. The Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival fills the grounds of Historic Fort Jackson with carnival lights, live music, local food, and a long list of contests that celebrate the citrus harvest. Families arrive from across the parish and from up the highway, and they spend the weekend moving between rides, stages, food stalls, and the fort itself. The event carries the name of the parish fair and the orange harvest together, and that pairing shapes everything about it. It is a parish fair in the Louisiana sense, with the orange at the centre of the celebration, and it has been drawing crowds to the same fort for decades.
About
The Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival is the parish fair of Plaquemines Parish, held at Historic Fort Jackson in Buras. Its published forms include “Plaquemines Parish Fair & Orange Festival”, “Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival”, and “Plaquemines Parish Orange Festival”, and the sheet title is printed as the event’s name. Buras hosts the festival, though Buras is not the parish seat. The seat is Pointe à la Hache, and Buras sits further down the parish, on Louisiana Highway 23, closer to the mouth of the Mississippi River. That geography matters, because the festival belongs to the lower parish, where citrus groves, fishing communities, and river life have shaped daily living for generations.
Historic Fort Jackson gives the festival a setting no fairground could match. The fort is a brick structure with a long military past, and its grounds open out into broad lawns where rides, stages, and stalls are set up each year.
The festival celebrates the parish citrus industry, and oranges are everywhere. Vendors sell fresh citrus and orange-flavoured dishes, and the contest list reads like a catalogue of citrus skills, with orange eating and orange peeling among the headline events. People who grew up in the parish return for it, and people who moved away plan visits around it.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Event name | Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival |
| Host town | Buras, Louisiana |
| Parish seat | Pointe à la Hache |
| Venue | Historic Fort Jackson, on Louisiana Highway 23, Buras |
| Most recent dated edition | Friday 4 December through Sunday 6 December 2026 |
| Billing for that edition | 80th annual festival |
| Earlier dated editions | Friday 5 December through Sunday 7 December 2025; Friday 6 December through Sunday 8 December 2024 |
| Admission | Free, per the 2026 events-guide layer |
| Signature contests | Kumquat stuffing, orange eating, orange peeling, duck calling, shrimp de-heading, catfish skinning, oyster shucking |
| Other highlights | Carnival rides, live music, Civil War re-enactments, helicopter rides, children’s pageant, five-kilometre run and walk |
History
The history of the Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival is recorded in layers that do not agree on every detail, and this article carries those accounts as printed rather than settling them. An events-guide layer says the festival was founded in 1946 to celebrate the parish citrus industry. A magazine layer says it began in 1947, and a university layer says its first edition was in 1947. The annual billings are printed the same way, with the 2024 edition billed its seventy-eighth year and the 2026 edition billed the eightieth annual festival.
For a useful comparison, see the Plaquemines Parish Louisiana Seafood Festival for another county festival.
What the layers agree on is the reason the festival exists. Plaquemines Parish grew citrus on a scale that made the harvest a parish-wide event, and the fair was created to honour that industry. The fair grew around that core, adding rides, music, and contests as the years passed, but the citrus theme never left.
The venue has been part of the story for a long time. Historic Fort Jackson stands on Louisiana Highway 23 in Buras, and the festival has made the fort grounds its home. The festival’s use of the fort is a modern chapter in that long history, and the pairing of a working fair with a historic fort gives the event a sense of continuity.
Over the decades the festival has grown into a three-day weekend, running Friday through Sunday in early December. The 2024 edition ran Friday 6 December through Sunday 8 December and was billed its seventy-eighth year. The 2025 edition ran Friday 5 December through Sunday 7 December. The 2026 edition ran Friday 4 December through Sunday 6 December and was billed the eightieth annual festival.
What to Expect
A weekend at the Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival moves at the pace of a parish fair, with plenty to see and do at every turn. Carnival rides fill a large part of the grounds, and the lights and sounds of the midway carry across the fort. Live music runs through the weekend, with local performers and bands playing sets that draw crowds to the stages.
Eating well is one of the main pleasures of the weekend. Local restaurants and food vendors serve dishes from the parish, and fresh seafood and citrus appear on menus throughout the grounds. The orange is the star, and visitors will find it in dishes, drinks, and fresh fruit sold by vendors.
The contests give the festival its distinctive flavour. Kumquat stuffing, orange eating, and orange peeling test speed and skill with the parish harvest. Duck calling brings the hunting traditions of the lower parish into the fair, and the sound of the calls carries across the grounds. Shrimp de-heading, catfish skinning, and oyster shucking are working skills turned into competition, and the crowds gather close to watch hands move fast.
Civil War re-enactments add a historical thread to the weekend, using the fort as their natural stage. Re-enactors in period dress demonstrate the life of the fort’s earlier years, and visitors can watch drills and displays that bring the brick walls to life. Helicopter rides offer a different kind of view, lifting visitors above the fort and the river for a look at the parish from the air.
Planning Your Visit
The festival runs Friday through Sunday in early December, and the 2026 edition ran Friday 4 December through Sunday 6 December. Visitors should check the dates for the coming year before travelling, because the exact weekend shifts with the calendar. The fair is held at Historic Fort Jackson in Buras, on Louisiana Highway 23, and the drive down the parish is part of the experience.
Admission was free for the 2026 edition, per the events-guide layer, and that makes the festival an easy weekend outing. Visitors still need money for food, rides, and the contests they want to join, so a day’s budget should cover meals, midway tickets, and any souvenirs. December weather in the lower parish can be cool, especially in the evening, and a jacket is worth packing.
Families with children should plan around the midway and the kids’ activities, which are spread across the grounds. The children’s pageant and the five-kilometre run and walk are scheduled events, and their times are worth noting in advance. Visitors who want to watch the contests should arrive early for the popular ones, because the crowds gather close around the tables.
Buras is a small community, and the festival brings a large crowd to a small place. Parking and traffic on Louisiana Highway 23 can be slow on the busiest day, usually Saturday, so an early arrival makes the day easier.
Sample Itinerary
A first-time visitor can make the most of a Saturday by arriving at the fort in the late morning, when the grounds are open and the crowds are still building. Start with a walk around the fort itself, taking in the brick walls and the river view before the midway fills. Then head for the food stalls and pick up a first taste of the parish, whether that is a plate of local seafood or something made with fresh citrus.
The afternoon is when the festival is at its liveliest, with music, rides, and contests all running at once. Take a break in the early evening for a second meal, then return to the stages for the evening music.
Sunday offers a quieter pace, and it is a good day for the five-kilometre run and walk, the children’s pageant, and a final round of the food stalls. The drive back north on Louisiana Highway 23 in the late afternoon is a fitting end to the weekend, with the river on one side and the groves on the other.
Comparison
The Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival sits beside other Louisiana parish fairs, and the comparison shows what makes it distinct. Many parish fairs celebrate a local crop, and the orange gives this one a clear identity. A seafood festival in the same parish celebrates the water, and the two events complement one another, one honouring the groves and the other the catch. The Plaquemines Parish Seafood Festival is held in Belle Chasse, and it is a different event from the fair in Buras, with its own venue and its own programme.
The fort setting also sets the fair apart. The Civil War re-enactments at the fair make sense only because the fort is there, and the brick walls give the whole weekend a sense of place that a flat field cannot match.
Compared with larger city festivals, the Plaquemines fair is smaller and more local. It does not draw the crowds of a New Orleans festival, and that is part of its appeal.
Checklist
- Check the dates for the coming edition before travelling, because the December weekend shifts with the calendar.
- Arrive early on Saturday, the busiest day, to beat traffic on Louisiana Highway 23.
- Bring a jacket for the cool December evenings and sturdy shoes for walking the fort grounds.
- Carry cash for food, rides, and contest entry, since the grounds are largely outdoors.
- Plan meals around the food stalls, and try the citrus dishes that mark the harvest.
- Arrive early for the popular contests, because crowds gather close around the tables.
- Note the times of the children’s pageant and the five-kilometre run and walk in advance.
- Set aside time to walk the fort itself, not just the midway and the stages.
- Allow time for the drive down the parish, and consider staying overnight in the wider region.
Beyond the Festival
Buras and the lower parish reward visitors who look beyond the fair itself. The drive along Louisiana Highway 23 passes groves, levees, and river communities that explain why the festival exists. The Mississippi River is never far away, and the landscape of the lower parish is shaped by the river and the Gulf.
The fort is worth a longer visit in its own right. Historic Fort Jackson has a history that reaches back to the nineteenth century, and its walls and courtyards repay a slow walk. The parish seat, Pointe à la Hache, lies up the highway from Buras, and the parish government has largely been based in Belle Chasse since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Citrus remains a living part of the parish, and the festival is the clearest expression of it. Visitors who buy oranges and citrus goods at the fair are taking home a piece of the harvest, and the growers who supply the festival are the same families who have worked the groves for generations.
Significance
The Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival matters because it ties a parish to its own history and its own work. The citrus industry gave the parish an identity, and the fair keeps that identity alive in a form that families can share.
The festival also matters as a gathering. The lower parish is spread out along the river, and its communities can feel distant from one another. The fair brings them together at the fort for a weekend each year, and that gathering has a value beyond the rides and the food. The free admission for the 2026 edition makes that gathering open to everyone, and the fair’s role as a parish meeting place is as important as its role as a celebration.
The fort setting adds a further layer of meaning. Historic Fort Jackson has stood through wars, storms, and the changing life of the river, and the festival’s use of the fort connects the present parish to its past. That connection between place and celebration is the festival’s deepest significance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival different from other Louisiana fairs?
The festival pairs a parish fair with a citrus harvest celebration, and it is held at Historic Fort Jackson in Buras. The orange contests, the working-skill competitions, and the fort setting together give it an identity that other fairs do not share.
Is the festival held in the parish seat?
No. Buras hosts the festival, and Buras is not the parish seat. The seat is Pointe à la Hache, although most of the parish government has been in Belle Chasse since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
What contests can visitors watch at the fair?
The contest list includes kumquat stuffing, orange eating, orange peeling, duck calling, shrimp de-heading, catfish skinning, and oyster shucking.
Is there an entry charge at the fair?
Admission was free for the 2026 edition, per the events-guide layer. Food, rides, and other activities on the grounds carry their own charges.
What to Expect From the Next Plaquemines Parish Louisiana Fair and Orange Festival
How often is Plaquemines Parish Louisiana Fair and Orange Festival held?
The festival is an annual event, held on a Friday through Sunday weekend in early December.
When is the next Plaquemines Parish Louisiana Fair and Orange Festival?
The next edition falls on the early-December weekend following the 2026 edition, which ran Friday 4 December through Sunday 6 December 2026.
Will the dates change?
The festival has kept its early-December Friday-through-Sunday pattern across the 2024, 2025, and 2026 editions, and the pattern is steady. The exact dates move from year to year with the calendar.
The Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival is a weekend where a parish celebrates its harvest inside the walls of a historic fort, and the combination is worth the drive down Louisiana Highway 23. Come for the oranges and the contests, stay for the music and the midway, and leave with a clearer sense of the lower parish and the people who call it home.
