SugarFest 2021

Come have a sweet ole time at the West Baton Rouge Museum’s SugarFest on Sunday, October 3, 2021 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This annual sweet celebration of the sugar cane harvest has been growing strong since 1995. The event will be held in person this year, and all events will be held outdoors in an effort to be socially distanced and safe as possible. There will be hand-sanitizing stations, and we ask that all visitors and participants wear masks. 

SugarFest provides visitors of all ages with a free opportunity to learn about local culture, music, and history with a variety of folk art and occupational craft demonstrations, a peek inside museum exhibits and historic buildings, cane cutting and grinding demonstrations, cane syrup boiling, and live music. Genres featured include Blues, Dixieland Jazz, Folk, Cajun, Zydeco, and Bluegrass. Some of the demonstrations include praline candy making, blacksmithing, bousillage making, wood working with antique hand tools, spinning and weaving, and much more. There will be old-fashioned pastimes for children to enjoy and a Café Français tent where only French is spoken and lively games of Bourré are played. Food and drink will be available for purchase, and artists will be selling their wares. Of course, there will be lots of sugary treats, fresh chewing cane samples, and for those age 21 and over, a rum tasting and discussion on how this spirit is made from Louisiana’s sweetest cash crop.

SugarFest is FREE and open to the public. Hope to see you there, SUGAR! 

Sweets Booth Contest

Help West Baton Rouge Museum celebrate 26 Sweet Years of SugarFest by donating homemade sugary treats to the West Baton Rouge Historical Association’s Sweets Booth in return for a chance to win a very special prize! Simply fill out an entry form, get cooking, and drop off your goodies with a completed form attached. 

At our 2021 socially distanced celebration, instead of our traditional Sweets Contest, everyone has an equal chance to win the grand prize that is highly sought after each year. At Noon, one lucky entry form will be drawn from all the names who contributed to the Sweets Booth. That named individual will receive the SugarFest sugar shell, a lovely handcrafted sugar spoon. Be a part of the tradition of winning this sweet pewter piece that has been awarded to the region’s best makers of confections over the past twenty-five years. 

Make sure you read our guidelines before you get baking, sugar!

  1. Make your best recipe in any of these sugar-filled categories– cookies, cakes, candies, or pies. 
  2. Entries must not require reheating or refrigeration. 
  3. Your entries must arrive at the West Baton Rouge Museum between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. 

Access the 2021 Socially Distant SugarFest Sweets Booth Contest Entry Form here!