Downtown Plaquemine’s monthly market celebrates local artists and makers

The full moon emerges in the night sky as an artisan market unfolds below. There are food trucks, a mobile bookstore and live music, along with booths holding jewelry, artwork, candles, crocheted plushies and sweet and savory culinary items. Patrons mingle with friends and acquaintances while sipping dirty sodas and noshing on sticky caramel brownies and juicy burgers.

Every month, more than 40 vendors set up across a Main Street parking lot in downtown Plaquemine at the Friday-evening Full Moon Market. The gathering is the brainchild of photographer Ashlee Bergeron, whose studio sits nearby. A Plaquemine transplant and Church Point native, Bergeron says she was inspired by the growing number of arts markets and pop-ups in Baton Rouge and figured it was time for a similar gathering on the west side.

“I wanted a platform for artists and makers to be able to come together and celebrate what they do,” says the ebullient Bergeron. “I wanted it to have good vibes. This town is so unique and so cool. It has a lot of character.”

The market celebrated its one-year anniversary in December. It’s intentionally timed with the full moon, Bergeron says.

“I like the mythical aspect of it, and it’s fun,” she says. “The moon is something that’s been celebrated since the beginning of time.”

The market started with six vendors in December 2024, but interest grew quickly.

“We doubled the number of vendors every month for the next several months,” Bergeron says. “By June 2025, we were full.”

The vendors hail not just from Plaquemine, but from throughout the Capital Region, she says. Similarly, patrons come from both sides of the river.

“When we first started, people were like, ‘No one’s going to drive over that bridge,’” Bergeron says. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna show y’all.’ And we have.”

Around 500 attend each market. Bergeron is hopeful crowds will continue to grow this spring. She’s launched a second Full Moon Market in Carencro on Saturday evenings, which gets underway this month.

“There are so many creatives out there,” Bergeron says. “And I want these markets to bring them together.”

For 2026 dates and more information, visit Full Moon Market La on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.

This article was originally published in the March 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.