The City of Lake Charles is falling into the fourth quarter of 2024 with a full slate of Partners in Parks events. Unless otherwise noted, all events are family-friendly, free and open to the public. 

The schedule begins on Saturday, October 5, with a special Art in the Park—Fall into Creativity, from 9-11 am at Tuten Park (3801 Nelson Rd.).  

On Friday, October 11, we’re throwing a birthday party for Lake Charles Jazz legend Nellie Lutcher! Join us at Nellie Lutcher Memorial Park (702 Enterprise Blvd.) from 5-7 pm for Happy Birthday Nellie, featuring live music, food trucks and more! 

On Saturday, October 19, one of our annual favorites returns with the Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest for Dogs from 9-11 am at Bark du Lac Dog Park (111 West Pine St.).

On Friday, October 25, just in time for Halloween, join us for Sasol’s Nature in Focus Bat Walk through Drew Park (426 Dr. DeBakey Dr.) from 6-8 pm.

October will wrap up with a brand-new event, The Great Pumpkin Trail, at Tuten Park, October 25-27. The trail will be open daily from 9 am – 7 pm. 

A complete list of Halloween events is available at www.cityoflakecharles.com/halloween.  

November will begin with the launch of high-flying fun as the third annual LA Region Five STEM Center Pumpkin Chunkin’ Contest will take place on Saturday, November 4, at I-10 North Beach. 

On Saturday, November 9, our scavenger hunt series returns with a special Where in Downtown Lake Charles is Carmen Sandiego hunt.

Another edition of Art in the Park is slated for the scenic Hillcrest Park on Saturday, November 16, and we will close out the month by welcoming in the Christmas holiday season on Saturday, November 30, with the City’s annual Light up the Lake Christmas Festival. 

A complete list of Christmas holiday season events, including special hours for Chuck the Train and snow at Millennium Park, is available at www.cityoflakecharles.com/Christmas.  

December will close out the fourth quarter, and 2024, with a special Christmas Ornament Workshop at Historic City Hall on Saturday, December 7. 

The Nellie Lutcher Christmas Carol Extraordinaire will bring the sounds of the holidays to Nellie Lutcher Memorial Park, on Sunday, December 15.

The Children’s Miracle Network will present a special holiday edition of Movies with the Mayor on Saturday, December 21, 2024. 

“As we look to close out 2024i we are celebrating the incredible programming and great attendance to our Partners in Parks events through the entirety of this year. It has truly been a wonderful, fun-filled year,” said Mayor Nic Hunter. “We will complete our fourth quarter of fun this year with some new events and the return of some crowd favorites. Our parks are a critical component of quality of life in the City of Lake Charles and we will continue to develop programming through Partners in Parks. Every day, through this initiative, we are expanding opportunities for citizens of all ages to enjoy our public spaces.”

In July of 2018, Mayor Hunter’s administration launched the citywide Partners in Parks initiative aimed at combining private and public dollars to improve park infrastructure and expand programming. To date, Partners in Parks has meant over a $1.6M for City parks without any additional taxation on local citizens. 

Individuals interested in investing in City parks may do so online by visiting www.foundationswla.org. 

All events are subject to change. Follow www.cityoflakecharles.com and www.facebook.com/LakeCharles/Louisiana for the latest schedule updates.

Q4 Calendar 2024