The Holiday Trail of Lights is a festival held in Northwest Louisiana during the Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 season.

Six North Louisiana

North Louisiana

North Louisiana is a region in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The region has two metropolitan areas: Shreveport-Bossier City and Monroe-West Monroe....

 cities participate in the Trail: Natchitoches

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...

 , Shreveport

Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....

, Bossier City

Bossier City, Louisiana

Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...

, Minden

Minden, Louisiana

Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...

, Monroe

Monroe, Louisiana

Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...

-West Monroe

West Monroe, Louisiana

West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, Alexandria

Alexandria, Louisiana

Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....

-Pineville

Pineville, Louisiana

Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....

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The Natchitoches Christmas Festival

Natchitoches Christmas Festival

The Natchitoches Christmas Festival is held annually in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Christmas festival is expanded throughout the community each year but is centered around the historic district of Natchitoches. The festival is a major tourist attraction for the area, drawing an estimated 100,000...

, also called the "Festival of Lights," in Natchitoches was started in 1927, making it one of the oldest Light Festivals in the US. In the largest city, Shreveport, the offerings include a choreographed laser light show in the Barnwell Garden and Art Center, "Christmas in Roseland" at the American Rose Center, and a weekly fireworks extravaganza. Candlelight tours of historic homes are popular attractions in all of the cities. In Natchitoches, Louisiana

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...

 it is known as the Natchitoches Christmas Festival

Natchitoches Christmas Festival

The Natchitoches Christmas Festival is held annually in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Christmas festival is expanded throughout the community each year but is centered around the historic district of Natchitoches. The festival is a major tourist attraction for the area, drawing an estimated 100,000...

 or Festival of lights

Festival of Lights

Festival of Lights or Celebration of Light may refer to:In religion:*Chaharshanbe Suri, part of the Persian New Year and also known as Festival of Light*Diwali, a religious festival associated with Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism...

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All of the cities are within a one hour drive of each other and hold parades during the festival and offer what the official website calls "Southern

Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...

 hospitality

Southern hospitality

Southern hospitality is a phrase used in American English to describe the stereotype of residents of the Southern United States as particularly warm and welcoming to visitors to their homes, or to the South in general.__FORCETOC__...

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External links

• Holiday Trail of Lights Official Site