Travel Blog & Book News
Alight Christmas: Bonfires Beckon in St. James Parish
Posted December 16, 2011 in Festivals, Louisiana Travel
Christmas Eve bonfires along the Mississippi River represent deep tradition for some Louisiana families, though for others making the trip to experience this amazing spectacle can be tricky. Family obligations and other traditions on Christmas Eve might preclude a road trip, even a short one. But it’s worth the effort, and with just a little advance planning — to put the in-laws on notice perhaps, or to organize a group for the outing — it can turn into an unforgettable part of your holiday.
I devoted a whole chapter of Louisiana Rambles to the riverfront bonfires, and the book includes an account of its origins and history (sales pitch: makes a great gift! Buy the book at your favorite local book shop or online).
But, for now, here are some of the basics you need to know in order to plan an outing.
The nexus for Christmas Eve bonfires in south Louisiana are the contiguous riverfront towns of Gramercy, Lutcher and Paulina, all in St. James Parish, which is about a 45-minute highway drive from New Orleans.
When pulling into these towns on Christmas Eve, expect bedlam. All the action happens along the River Road (Highway 44), and that two-lane stretch is packed with people driving by and walking around. On the levee top, you’ll find one log pyre after the next, watched over by the families that built them and their friends and relatives who come out to party with them for the event. It all looks like a tailgating scene with people cooking out and tending coolers around their pyres. Meanwhile, just about everyone who lives along this stretch of River Road seems to be having a bonfire party, in the same way that people who live along the New Orleans parade routes have Endymion or Bacchus parties. Fireworks will be snapping here and there, a prelude to the huge amount that will go off once the bonfires are lit.
The borders of Gramercy, Lutcher and Paulina follow the old plantation property lines, so these three towns are long and narrow, stretching back from the river where each has a relatively small foothold. This means you can walk between them easily along the riverfront. The last time we visited the bonfires, for instance, we parked upriver in Paulina, and after less than three miles of strolling the levee top we had crossed through Lutcher entirely and reached Gramercy while passing perhaps 100 pyres along the way.
The bonfires are lit at 7 p.m. They’ll burn for hours, but for the most dramatic effect be sure to get there in time to see the bonfires igniting, which is when the fireworks reach their peak barrage and the excitement is at its fullest.
Local restaurants and bars are open, but the best-equipped visitors pack their own refreshments for the evening. My advice is to bring an evening picnic, find a bare spot on the levee – one not directly beneath a bonfire, since burning logs tend to roll loose – and enjoy an evening holiday light show like no other.