📅 Baton Rouge: Week at a Glance | April 20–26

Why it matters: A Broadway one-nighter, a civic vote with real stakes, and a week full of free events give you plenty of reasons to get out.

🗓️ Tuesday, April 21

🌿 Hilltop Arboretum: Discover Nature—6:30 p.m. 📍 LSU Hilltop Arboretum, 11855 Highland Road

• "Recycling & Repurposing in Baton Rouge"—the latest in Hilltop's free community lecture series. Check lsu.edu/hilltop for registration details.

🎭 Mrs. Doubtfire—7:30 p.m. 📍 River Center Theatre for Performing Arts, 240 St. Louis St.

• The national touring production of the internationally acclaimed musical, one night only in Baton Rouge as part of the Broadway in Baton Rouge season. Tickets at the River Center box office.

🗓️ Wednesday, April 22

🏛️ Metro Council Meeting—4 p.m. 📍 City Hall, 222 St. Louis St.

• The vote on Mayor-President Sid Edwards' proposal to give BRPD its largest raise in department history—lifting starting salaries from ~$41,000 to ~$58,000 and making Baton Rouge police the highest-paid in Louisiana. Needs seven votes. Five Democratic council members have proposed an alternative spreading raises across city-parish workers at a similar cost. Full agenda can be seen online. Public comment accepted.

🎻 Music at the Mansion: LSU Cello Studio—5:30 p.m. 📍 Old Governor's Mansion, 502 North Blvd.

• LSU School of Music students perform Villa-Lobos, Wagner, Pärt and more, with soprano Emma Littleton as guest. Free. Reception follows.

🗓️ Thursday, April 23

🏛️ Longism and Louisiana Politics—5:30 p.m. 📍 Old Governor's Mansion, 502 North Blvd.

• Jay Dardenne—former Lt. Governor, Commissioner of Administration, Secretary of State and Metro Councilman—leads a deep dive into Huey Long's life, death and lasting legacy. Free. Reception follows.

🗓️ Friday, April 24

🎵 Live After Five: Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas—5–8 p.m. 📍 North Boulevard Town Square, downtown

• Legendary Louisiana zydeco trailblazers delivering accordion-driven, dancefloor-filling Creole party music. Free. Full lineup at the Downtown Business Association.

🗓️ Saturday, April 25

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

• Fresh produce, local vendors and community at BR's flagship open-air market. Can't make Saturday? A second market runs Tuesdays, 3–6 p.m., at the Main Library at Goodwood.

🗓️ Sat.–Sun., April 25–26

🏠 Parade of Homes—1–5 p.m. 📍 Various locations, Greater Baton Rouge

• Final weekend of the HBAGBR Parade of Homes presented by GSE Integrated. 38 homes across the metro—21 in EBR Parish—showcasing the latest in design, building innovation and technology. Several are tucked into classic BR neighborhoods such as Hundred Oaks, Hillsdale and Goodwood Estates, a sign of the growing premium on infill development as the parish becomes increasingly land-locked. Tickets at ParadeGBR.fun or on the HBAGBR app.

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.