For over 150 years, Tangipahoa Parish has been the crossroads of Louisiana and the cultural, entertainment and outdoor activities hub for southeast Louisiana. Today, Tangipahoa Parish is still the crossroads where good times, good food and good people meet. 

Good Times

      In the true Louisiana spirit, good times are here almost every weekend of the year. 

     In the Fall, it is the Renaissance Festival, the Hammond Airshow, Global Wildlife, Antique Trade Days and NCAA sporting events on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University. 

      The Winter turns the parish into an absolute Winter Wonderland with exquisite downtown Christmas lights, holiday performances in the Columbia Theatre, local Christmas parades and live Nativity scenes. The museums and art galleries are a perfect place to meet local artists.

     As the weather begins to warm and the azaleas start to bloom, Spring kicks off the official “festival season.” The Sicilian and Italian Festivals highlight the culture, music and food of the local communities. The oyster industry and the official state fruit, the strawberry, are the main focus of the Oyster and Strawberry Festivals. Add the nationally renowned Hammond BBQ Challenge with other local bar-b-que and jambalaya competitions and the Spring in Tangipahoa is one for all your senses.

    The Summer is calling for everyone to enjoy the outdoors with July 4th firework displays, Ponchatoula’s Christmas in July, Hot August Night in downtown Hammond and live performances at many restaurants. The local breweries are becoming a big part of the local summer scene with special tastings and weekend events for the whole family to enjoy.  

    The four seasons in Tangipahoa Parish can barely contain the many events on the calendar throughout the year.

Good Food

      Food is life in Louisiana and Tangipahoa Parish where a meal is much more than a meal. It is a gathering of family, friends and strangers who come together to share good times, life’s milestones and the end of the day exploring or working in this great parish. Plus, every meal ends after the dessert when plans are formulated for where and when the next meal will be enjoyed.

     Tangipahoa Parish has an abundance of restaurants that are locally owned with locally sourced seafood, beef and produce. It is always a fun challenge for the taste buds to discover a dish unique to the area or a dish with roots from the “old country” in the parish’s diverse culture.

     Creole, Italian, Mexican, German, Hungarian, Cajun, Asian, Sicilian and American dishes can be found in the restaurants throughout the parish—from Manchac in the south to Kentwood in the north. 

    Food feeds the spirit and Tangipahoa Parish has the dishes to keep the spirit alive and coming back for more. 

Good People

    Without a doubt, Tangipahoa Parish has the friendliest people you will ever meet. The people are hard-working, fun-loving and proud to call Tangipahoa Parish home. 

     Every family has a story to tell, and these families love to tell their stories, whether it is around the dinner table, in a local shop or at a festival. The good people of the parish engage visitors to feel the warmth and acceptance of a community that embraces cultural diversity. Many of the local families remember the traditions and stories of locating to the parish from countries all over the world. 

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   The friendly, passionate and entertaining people of Tangipahoa Parish are always ready to invite visitors to enjoy their time in the area and more importantly, they want to be one of the memorable reasons visitors fall in love with Tangipahoa Parish.

   As the locals say, “It is very easy to arrive in Tangipahoa Parish, but it is very hard to leave.”