New music festival brings country icons to the Capital Region

Remember Bayou Country Superfest?

For nine glorious years between 2010 and 2019, the festival attracted country music legends and enthusiastic crowds for a boot-stomping good time in Tiger Stadium (and, for two years, in the Caesars Superdome). Tens of thousands flocked to the annual event, confirming both the genre’s firm grip on the region and its fans’ cheerful embrace of western wear.

Never were so many boots gathered in one place.

Many lamented the festival’s indefinite hiatus, which organizers of a massive new gathering kept in mind when conceiving this month’s massive Boots on the Bayou Music Festival. Taking place at Lamar Dixon Expo Center on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, the two-day extravaganza features an impressive lineup of performers anchored by Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban, along with other buzzy acts, lots of local food and a vendor marketplace. It has the capacity for up to 34,000 patrons per day.

Brand manager Amy Vandiver says the goal was to deliver a “world-class atmosphere” with a range of experiences, made easier by Lamar Dixon’s sprawling 247-acre grounds.

Along with outdoor stages, the site will feature a food court, indoor arts and crafts fair, air-conditioned restroom trailers, areas for RV and car camping, VIP options and plenty of parking. Vandiver says this attention to detail gives Boots on the Bayou an advantage in attracting families, along with country music fans from the region and beyond.

“We wanted to make our festival stand out from all the other places you could see someone like Chris Stapleton,” Vandiver says. “When you think about Louisiana, you think about music, food, drinking and a good time, and that’s what we’re providing.”

The headliners are joined by Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Carly Pearce, Marcus King Band, Maddox Batson, Elle King and others. DJs from California and Australia will play between sets. Along with six main stages, a separate Tailgate Party section offers music and entertainment.

Vandiver says organizers were committed to recruiting Louisiana-based vendors, including 20 food trucks, several restaurants and craftspeople.

“A lot of the time you go to music festivals and the food and vendors are from out of town,” she says. “We wanted to be able to use locals.”

Break out your boots.

SAVE THE DATE

Boots on the Bayou Music Festival

Oct. 31-Nov. 1

Lamar Dixon Expo Center, Gonzales

This article was originally published in the October 2025 issue of 225 Magazine.