Baton Rouge area events for Oct. 3-9, 2025 | Entertainment/Life

The following is a calendar of community events in the Baton Rouge area from Friday through Thursday, Oct. 9.

FRIDAY

BLESSING OF THE PETS: 6 p.m., Le Chien Brewing Co. (back patio), 101 S. Hummell St., Denham Springs. Hosted by St. Francis Episcopal Church.

FRIDAY NIGHT LECTURE: 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., BREC’s Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road. Skygazing tips, physics phenomena, space programs and famous events are covered. For ages 14 and older. Free. hrpo.lsu.edu. Also, evening sky viewing from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. 

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

“THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST”: 7:30 p,m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sullivan Theater, 8849 Sullivan Road, Central. sullivantheater.com.

SATURDAY

BATON ROUGE ARTS MARKET: 8 a.m. to noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Vendors sell a variety of unique, original works of art including pottery, woodwork, textiles, glass, paintings, sculptures, photographs, handmade soaps, handmade toys, jewelry and more. artsbr.org.

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m. to noon, Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

FAMILY-HOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky, followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

BOOKS AND MUSIC WITH THE KIDS’ ORCHESTRA: 11 a.m., Zachary Branch Library, 1900 Church St. Experiential learning session for children ages 3-11. kidsorchestra.org.

“LOUISIANA GRASS ROOTS” (Film + Q&A): 2 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. The Acadiana-shot film tells the story of Louisiana’s forgotten prairie lands and the people working to save them. ‍Directed by Jillian Godshall and produced by Dr. Phyllis Baudoin Griffard. Featuring Geno Delafose, Megan Constantin, Dr. Jeffery Darensbourg, Dr. Charles Allen, Dr. Malcolm Vidrine, Larry Allain and Steve Nevitt; original score by Grammy-nominated musician Blake Miller. $12.50. manshiptheatre.org.

MONTHLY CONTRA DANCE: 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m., St. Alban’s Chapel, corner of Highland Road and Dalrymple Drive. Newcomer instruction at 1:15 p.m. Singles and couples welcome. $7 per person; free for first-timers. Louisianacontrasandsquares.com or (225) 803-9194.

QUUEER FÊTE MUSIC FESTIVAL: 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m., Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, 8470 Goodwood Blvd. Music from Crys Matthews and the Gais Do Do Band featuring Gina Forsyth, community resources, food, more. Adults, $15 and up; ages 12 and younger, free. unitarianbr.org/QF.

BALLROOM DANCE: 7 p.m.-10 p.m., American Legion, 151 S. Wooddale Blvd. “Halloween, Harvest and Wild Wild West” fall festivals dance with a mix of recorded music for ballroom, Latin and swing dancing. $15 cash admission (dancers and spectators); cash bar.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

PLANTFEST!: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road. More than 3,000 plants and just as many species of native and traditional trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, ferns, succulents and grasses. https://lsu.edu/hilltop, (225) 767-6916 or [email protected]

SUNDAY

FREE FIRST SUNDAY: Louisiana Art & Science Museum, 100 S. River Road; Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd.; Old Governors’ Mansion, 502 North Blvd.; Magnolia Mound Museum + Historic Site, 2161 Nicholson Drive; LSU Museum of Art, 100 Lafayette St.; and Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, 233 St. Ferdinand St. and LSU Center for River Studies, 100 Terrace Ave. Free admission to all exhibits and installations, plus reduced-price entry to LASM’s Irene Pennington Planetarium shows.

AUTHOR TALK: “WERE YOU THERE? A BIOGRAPHY OF EMMA WAKEFIELD-PAILLET”: 1:30 p.m., Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd. A deep dive into the life of Wakefield-Paillet as she breaks away from the oppression of the post-Civil War southern life and successfully becomes the first African American woman to receive a medical degree in the state. Free. [email protected].

MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2025: 2 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. In over 500 cities across six continents, more than 100,000 film lovers will gather to view and vote on the finalists’ films in the 28th annual festival. $12.50. manshiptheatre.org.

MONDAY

ECHOES OF ENOUGH: AN EVENING OF ART, TRUTH, AND HOPE: 6:30 p.m., Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. “ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence” calls on teens to confront gun violence by creating new works of theater that will spark critical conversations and inspire meaningful action in communities across the country. $16. https://www.manshiptheatre.org.

TUESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 3 p.m.-6 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

ARTIST TALK AND RECEPTION WITH LSUMOA: 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m., The Gallery at Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. For James Michalopoulos and his “Happy Times, Summer in the City” exhibit. Free. manshiptheatre.org.

BATON ROUGE CHESS CLUB: 6 p.m.-8 p.m., La Divina Italian Cafe, 3535 Perkins Road, Unit 360. A chance to play and learn; all levels welcome. Free. 

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 18303 Perkins Road. Collect your team and jockey for first place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 9 a.m. to noon, ExxonMobil YMCA, 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

LUNCHTIME LAGNIAPPE: LOUISIANA FOLKLORE WITH NATHAN RABALAIS: noon-1 p.m., Capitol Park Museum, 660 N. Fourth St. Bring lunch and hear Rabalais talk about Louisiana folklore. Free.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m., Burgersmith, 27350 Crossing Circle, Suite 150, Denham Springs. Collect your team and jockey for first place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

THURSDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8 a.m.-noon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7 p.m., Geaux Ride, 521 N. Third St., Suite A. Free. fareharbor.com.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 7 p.m., Bayes Oyster Bar, 315 North Blvd. Test your trivia skills with your friends and family. Free.

ONGOING

BATON ROUGE GALLERY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: 1515 Dalrymple Drive. Exhibits by Leslie Elliottsmith, Scott Finch and Kelly A. Mueller, through Oct. 26, with Articulate Artist Talk at 4 p.m. Sunday. batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOL PARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “Billy Cannon: They Called Him Legend,” through Jan. 10. “Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation” and “The Louisiana Experience: Discovering the Soul of America,” permanent exhibits. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastatemuseum.org.

????CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. artsbr.org.

GLASSELL GALLERY: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “Disk Full: Christine Breuning and Janna Ahrndt,” through Oct. 9.

LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Landscapes Along the Railway: The Art of John Cleaveland,” Soupçon Gallery; “Going Places: Transportation Toys of the Past,” Discovery Gallery; “Shelf Queens: Model Train Masterpieces,” Colonnade Gallery; “Threads of Evolution: Engineering a Community That Sparkles,” engineering meets imagination through the work of Jaime Glas Odom, founder and creative director of fashion brand Queen of Sparkles, through Nov. 9. (225) 344-5272 or lasm.org.

LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. “A Bayou State of Mind,” highlighted by the exhibition “The Bayou Collection,” a series of 40 paintings by George Rodrigue, through Jan. 4. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.

MANSHIP THEATRE GALLERY: 100 Lafayette St. “Michalopoulos: Happy Times, Summer in the City,” through Oct. 10. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

MAGNOLIA MOUND MUSEUM + HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive. Guided and self-guided tours. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. brec.org/facility/MagnoliaMound.

OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION: 502 North Blvd. Open for tours. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Free admission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

OLD STATE CAPITOL: 100 North Blvd. “Contemporary Views of the Castellated Capitol,” exhibit celebrating the 175th anniversary of the OSC and featuring the works of 19 well-known Louisiana artists. Free. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org.

USS KIDD VETERANS MUSEUM: 305 S. River Road. Displays of a variety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and naval military history. Note: Vessel is in Houma for dry dock repairs. usskidd.com.

WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM: 845 N. Jefferson Ave., Port Allen. “Radbwa ê tire tik-layé: The Art of Jonathan Mayers,” through Oct. 12. (225) 336-2422 or westbatonrougemuseum.org.