📅 Baton Rouge: Week at a Glance | July 27–August 2

Why it matters: Sunday is a rare convergence of Free First Sunday programming across the city—robots at the Mansion, Back to School Bash at the Shaw Center and a camp performance at Manship. The week opens with Louisiana's healing plants and closes with the robot revolution.

🗓️ Tuesday , July 28

🌿 Discover Nature: Louisiana Healing Garden—6:30–8 p.m. 📍 LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road

• Herbalist, educator and author Corinne Martin presents on her newest book, Louisiana Healing Garden: Medicinal Plants for a Sustainable Future—a deep dive into the plants around us and their capacity to heal. $15 general; $10 members. Register at lsu.edu/hilltop.

🗓️ Wednesday, July 29

🍷 Taste Like a Somme—Teaching Kitchen at Main Street Market

• BREADA's Summer Culinary Series continues with Level 3 Sommelier Scott Higgins leading an intimate wine evaluation class with curated charcuterie featuring seasonal farmers market ingredients. Limited to 20 guests. $100 per person; $175 per couple. Tickets at breada.org.

🗓️ Thu.–Sun., July 30–August 2

🎭 Rossum's Universal Robots: A Sci-Fi Synthwave Experience—7 p.m. 📍 Wonderground, 1439 Myrtle Walk St.

• Baton Rouge Alternative Theater reimagines the 1920 Czech sci-fi play that introduced the word "robot" to the English language—set to a synthwave score. On Rossum's Island, manufactured human replicants become self-aware and begin their revolution. Four performances. Thursday is high demand. $20. Tickets at Eventbrite. Park at the church across the street.

🗓️ Friday, July 31

🔭 Friday Night Lecture + Evening Sky Viewing—7:30 p.m. 📍 BREC Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road

• Free public astronomy lecture at 7:30 p.m. followed by open sky viewing through BREC's telescopes at 8:30 p.m. Ages 6 and up. Free. Details at hrpo.lsu.edu.

🗓️ Saturday, August 1

🦅 Swamp Bird Walks—7–9 a.m. 📍 Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, 10503 North Oak Hills Pkwy.

• Monthly guided morning bird walk through one of Baton Rouge's finest urban nature preserves. Led by the Baton Rouge Audubon Society. Details at brec.org.

🌱 Red Stick Farmers Market + Baton Rouge Arts Market—8 a.m.–noon 📍 5th & Main Street, downtown

• The first Saturday of the month brings the Baton Rouge Arts Market alongside the farmers market—original pottery, jewelry, paintings and more. Details at breada.org.

🔭 Family Hour Stargazing—10 a.m. 📍 Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, LASM, 100 S. River Road

• Weekly Saturday morning stargazing under the dome—learn about stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky. Included with general admission. Details at lasm.org.

🇮🇪 16th Annual Irish Film Festival—10 a.m.–10 p.m. 📍 Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.

• A full day of Irish-made and Irish-themed films. Schedule: Veteran Appreciation Feature Film and Reception (10 a.m.–noon, free to veterans and day pass holders); Horseshoe (12:30 p.m.); Wee Irish Shorts (2–5 p.m.); reception for pass holders (5–7 p.m.); Once Upon a Time in Cinema (7 p.m.). Day passes and individual tickets available. Tickets at manshiptheatre.org.

🗓️ Sunday, August 2

🏛️ Free First Sunday—noon–4 p.m. 📍 Multiple locations

• Free admission across Baton Rouge's cultural institutions including LASM, Old State Capitol (Little Mapmakers programming), Old Governor's Mansion, LSU Museum of Art, Capitol Park Museum, Cary Saurage Community Arts Center, LSU Center for River Studies and Magnolia Mound.

🤖 From Retro to Robots—noon–4 p.m. 📍 Old Governor's Mansion, 502 North Blvd.

• Vintage telephones and typewriters alongside cutting-edge robots, robotic arms and VR experiences—all under one historic roof. In partnership with LSU Engineering's Department of Construction Management. Take home a 3D-printed souvenir, tour the Mansion in VR and hear Huey Long's voice come alive. Free. Free parking.

🎨 LSU Museum of Art: Free First Sunday Back to School Bash—1–4 p.m. 📍 Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St.

• Backpack keychain crafting, gallery exploration and a 2 p.m. storytime with local author Julie Gerdes Becnel reading Roux's First Day. Free, funded by Art Bridges Foundation. Details at lsumoa.org.

💃 Dance & Neurodiversity Camp Final Performance—3 p.m. 📍 Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.

• The culminating performance of Manship's All-Ability Inclusive summer dance camp. Free. RSVP required at manshiptheatre.org.

🎨 Sundays@4 with Jeremy K. Simien—4–5:30 p.m. 📍 Baton Rouge Gallery, 1515 Dalrymple Drive

• Free afternoon programming from the Baton Rouge Gallery's ongoing summer series. Details at batonrougegallery.org.

🎵 R&B Jazz with Michael Bingham: Laid Back Brunch—noon–3 p.m. 📍 Red Stick Social, Electric Depot, 1503 Government St.

• Live R&B and jazz during Sunday brunch. Brunch buffet $25; mimosa buckets $15; bowling lanes $35/hour. Free admission for the music. Details at redsticksocial.com.

📋 Government & Civic

🗓️ Tuesday, July 28

🏛️ St. George Regular Council Meeting—5–7 p.m. 📍 St. George Fire Department Administrative Building, 14100 Airline Highway. Broadcast live on YouTube.

🗓️ Friday, July 31

🏛️ The Future of the Observatory—5:30–8:30 p.m. 📍 BREC Highland Road Park Observatory, 13800 Highland Road

• A public meeting on the future of one of Baton Rouge's most beloved community science institutions. Free and open to the public. Details at hrpo.lsu.edu.

Reach us: Want to submit an event item for consideration? Email us the information at news@redeyebr.com. Details: The calendar is on a Monday–Sunday rotation, and the submission deadline is the Wednesday prior.