The Denham Springs Antique Village has two big Saturdays on the October calendar, and both point to the same small building. The Fall Festival on October 3 lists Old City Hall as a stop. The Main Street Chili Cook-Off on October 10 uses its address, 115 Mattie Street. Inside, an exhibit on Walker's Old South Jamboree stays open through the end of December, well after both events are over.
That makes Old City Hall the center of downtown this fall. The festivals bring the crowds for a day each. The building gives people a reason to come back on an ordinary Saturday in November.
Here is the season at a glance:
- Saturday, October 3, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Fall Festival, Range Avenue, Mattie Street and Train Station Park, free admission
- Saturday, October 10, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Main Street Chili Cook-Off and Touch-A-Truck, 115 Mattie Street
- Now through the end of December: Old South Jamboree exhibit, inside Old City Hall
- November 27 to December 20: Christmas in the Village, which includes the Lighting of Old City Hall
October 3 spreads across Range Avenue, with Old City Hall on the route
The City of Denham Springs expects more than 160 vendors along Range Avenue for the Fall Festival, selling antiques, art, crafts, greenery and one-of-a-kind finds. Mattie Street becomes "Art Avenue" for local artists, and Train Station Park has live music all day. The city's food list names jambalaya, burgers and funnel cakes. The listing also mentions games, kiddie rides and rest areas.
The Advocate's Livingston roundup for September 30, 2026, adds a free kids' zone and special sales inside the downtown stores. Those store sales tie the vendor booths to the permanent shops behind them. On festival day, the Antique Village's regular merchants are running specials of their own while 160 temporary booths line the street outside.
The city's listing also tells visitors to stop by Old City Hall. This year, a stop there means walking into the Jamboree exhibit, which opened two weeks before the festival. For many festivalgoers, October 3 will be the first look at what's inside.
The published notices for the festival don't include road closures, parking plans or a set music schedule. If you're planning around a specific act or a parking spot, check the city's event page and the festival's Facebook post closer to Saturday.
A week later, the chili pots line up outside Old City Hall
The Chili Cook-Off returns on Saturday, October 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the city lists it at 115 Mattie Street. According to WBRZ's preview, chili teams will set up along Mattie Street and serve samples while visitors pick their favorite pot. There will also be local vendors, music and a lineup of public safety and service vehicles.
The vehicles are this year's addition. Denham Springs Main Street is working with the Denham Springs Fire Department and the American Red Cross on a Touch-A-Truck event next to the cook-off. Elizabeth Baudoin, marketing chair for Denham Springs Main Street, explained the reason for it in WBRZ's coverage:
"Adding Touch-A-Truck this year gives families even more to do while they're here. Come hungry, bring the kids and plan to spend a few hours with us downtown."
Baudoin's "a few hours" is what makes this Saturday different from the first one. The Fall Festival covers seven and a half hours and several blocks. The cook-off runs three hours, centered on one address. If you go, you'll be standing at Old City Hall's front door with time to step inside.
Costs, as reported by WBRZ:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Tasting wristband, adults | $10 |
| Tasting wristband, children 10 and under | $5 |
| Chili team registration | $25 |
| Vendor space | $35 |
Cooks who have been thinking about entering a team have a low barrier. Registration costs $25, only $15 more than one adult tasting wristband.
Inside the building, a Walker music hall gets three months
The Old South Jamboree opened in Walker in 1969 and hosted live country music every week until March 2020. That's just over fifty years of weekly shows. According to Livingston Parish News, the performers included Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams Jr., George Jones, Ronnie McDowell, Faron Young, Mel Tillis, Porter Wagoner and Marty Robbins.
The exhibit opened on Saturday, September 19. Councilwoman Lori Lamm Williams welcomed visitors, a tour followed, and Carlton Jones and His Red Hot Country Pickers played. The band played the Jamboree often. The city credits Robert Reynolds with putting the exhibit together.
The exhibit's length matters more than its opening date. The festival lasts a day and the cook-off lasts an afternoon, but the exhibit runs through the end of December. As of October 1, that leaves about three months.
It also fits the city's own plans for downtown. The City of Denham Springs' Main Street page lists plans for quarterly featured exhibits under museum improvements, along with Spring Park restoration, street beautification with period lighting, and wayfinding signs. The page says plans to connect Spring Park to the river and restore hiking trails are still being researched, and it gives no completion dates for the rest. The Jamboree exhibit is a rotating exhibit of that kind, and it's open now.
On quieter Saturdays, the walk is shorter
Without festival booths, a visit to the Antique Village gets smaller and simpler. Livingston Parish Tourism lists the Four Season's Farmer's Market in the Antique Village every Saturday. The listing doesn't give hours, so check before you go.
Birdie Bleu Boutique is the district's newest shop. The family-owned clothing boutique held its grand opening on August 29 at 202 N. Range Ave., Suite A. Livingston Parish News reported that Nikki DePhillips owns it with her daughters. For anyone who hasn't been downtown since the spring, Birdie Bleu, the market and the Jamboree exhibit at 115 Mattie Street make a short loop. It covers what's new, what happens every week and what's only here until December.
The September 19 exhibit announcement made the same suggestion, inviting visitors to come for the exhibit and then browse the downtown antique shops and other merchants.
The season ends with the building lit up
Christmas in the Village runs from November 27 to December 20, according to the city's event listing. The planned activities include the Lighting of Old City Hall, a Chef's Evening and Wine Tasting, the Kiwanis Parade, live music and Grinchmas. The city hasn't posted 2026 dates for individual events yet. The schedule link on its page still opens last year's PDF, so wait for the updated version before planning around a specific night.
The overlap is the useful part. The Jamboree exhibit is set to close at the end of December, and Christmas in the Village ends December 20. For most of the holiday season, you can see the lit-up building and the exhibit inside it in the same trip.
A downtown that holds visitors past one festival day is something our agents follow closely across South Louisiana. If you're thinking about the Antique Village, or about what a home near Range Avenue and Mattie Street would mean for your weekends, Century 21 Action Louisiana can help you weigh it with people who know Livingston Parish. Contact us when you're ready to talk it through.
