Christmas in Gretna

About this happenin

Christmas in Gretna begins the Friday after Thanksgiving, when the city lights the live oaks along Huey P. Long Avenue in historic downtown Gretna. The lights come on nightly at dusk and stay up through Mardi Gras, and they cost nothing, same as the parade. The City of Gretna's tourism office fills the weeks after with small events. Santa rides the Christmas parade on the first Sunday of December, rolling around 5 p.m., and the tree lighting at 6th Street follows with free photos with Santa. The German-American Cultural Center sells brats and pretzels. The day before the parade, the Olde Gretna Christmas Market sets up at the Farmer's Market Pavilion, and Shop the Huey Holiday Market brings more than 80 vendors to the Gretna Cultural Center on a December Saturday. Picnic Under the Lights rents clear bubble tents on the neutral ground on weekend nights; call 504-363-1580 for rates. On a Sunday evening before Christmas, St. Joseph Church stages a Living Nativity with live animals and a choir.

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Where

Huey P. Long Avenue, Historic Downtown Gretna · Huey P. Long Avenue at 6th Street, Gretna, LA 70053