Baton Rouge: Week at a Glance | April 6–12, 2026
Why it matters: Live After Five returns, the opera comes back to a big stage and a packed Saturday gives you no excuse to stay home.
🗓️ Tuesday, April 7
🎬 The Godfather—7:30 p.m. 📍 Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.
- Francis Ford Coppola's mob masterpiece on the big screen for $5. Tickets at Manship Theatre—and check the full spring lineup while you're there.
🗓️ Thursday, April 9
🎨 LSU School of Art Grad Walk—5:30–8 p.m. 📍 Barnes Ogden Gallery, 31 S. Campus Drive, LSU
- MFA graduate open studio with live music, a glowing lantern installation and refreshments. Free and open to the public.
🎻 BRSO String Quartet—7:30 p.m. 📍 Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge
- An intimate chamber performance from the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra's Lamar Family Chamber Series.
🗓️ Thurs.–Sat., April 9–11
🏒 Baton Rouge Zydeco vs. Biloxi Breakers—7:05 p.m. 📍 Raising Cane's River Center Arena
- Three home games for BR's hockey team—Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets at the River Center box office.
🗓️ Friday, April 10
🎵 Live After Five—Opening Night, 5–8 p.m. 📍 North Boulevard Town Square, downtown
- The Michael Foster Project kicks off BR's largest free concert series—six Fridays through May 22. This year's full six-show run was nearly cut before MAPP Construction and b1Bank each stepped in with $15,000 to keep the music going. Bring a lawn chair. Full lineup at the Downtown Business Association.
🗓️ Saturday, April 11
🌱 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. First Saturday of the month means the Baton Rouge Arts Market runs alongside it—original pottery, jewelry, paintings and more.
🌿 StoryTime in the Garden—9 a.m.–noon 📍 LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden, 4560 Essen Lane
- Stories, arts and crafts for children ages 3–8. Free, no registration required.
🎭 Opéra Louisiane: Madama Butterfly—7 p.m. 📍 River Center Theatre for Performing Arts, 240 St. Louis St.
- Puccini's heartbreaking masterpiece returns to BR's biggest stage—one night only. Sets from the New Orleans Opera, costumes from the Paris Opera, musicians drawn from both the BRSO and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Sung in Italian with supertitles. Tickets at Opéra Louisiane.
🍹 Baton Rouge Margarita Festival—noon–6 p.m. 📍 Court to Table Kitchen & Bar, 7477 Burbank Drive
- 2,500 attendees, 10 margarita samples included with your ticket, live DJ, food vendors and a beer garden. The winning bar takes home $1,000; a portion of the proceeds benefits children's charities. Tickets from $55.