Red Church fest expected to draw thousands

5 bands, good eats and drumline showcase on tap

Thelezia Folse

Children and adults will get to hop one of the many fair rides at this weekend’s Little Red Church fest.

Thousands of people will head to Destrehan this weekend to enjoy soaring fair rides, chow down on crawfish pies and onion mums and show their skills in target shooting or putt putt golf.

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church will host its 31st annual Little Red Church Food and Fun Festival from April 29-May 1 behind the church on River Road. The festival has grown into one of the top yearly entertainment venues in the parish and will have five bands and a drumline showcase this year.

Of course, one of the main reasons people travel to any festival is for the food, and Little Red Church doesn’t disappoint. Crawfish pies, meat pies, jambalaya and red beans, pulled pork sandwiches and onion mums are just a few of the delicious choices this year.

There will also be several amusement park rides and exciting games where festival goers can take aim at a shooting gallery, hit targets with paint balls or enjoy a round of putt putt golf.

In the past, the event has only hosted two musical guests, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. But this year five guests have been invited and will perform throughout the weekend.

Black Magnolia and Bon Journeys will perform Saturday and No Idea, The Rowdy Boys and Boogie Men Band will take the stage Sunday. There will also be a DJ on Friday.

Ronald Rodrigue, administrative assistant at St. Charles Borromeo, said that the most exciting addition to this year’s festival is a drumline showcase featuring drumlines from St. Charles Borromeo and other area schools.

“They’re not going to be competing, they’re just going to be showing off their talents,” he said. “From what I hear (at St. Charles Borromeo) it’s awesome. I can’t wait to hear what the other schools are going to do.”

Entry into the festival is free and about 3,000 to 5,000 people attend each year, Rodrigue said.

“You don’t have to spend any money. You can just listen to bands if you want,” Rodrigue said.

The festival’s roots trace back to 1980, when a small group of people at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church decided to put on a modest fair to raise money for parish projects and bring the community together. Thirty-one years later, the Little Red Church Food and Fun Festival is one of the largest events in St. Charles.

This year’s festival will be held on April 29 from 6-10 p.m., April 30 from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and May 1 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. behind St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church on River Road in Destrehan.