📅 Baton Rouge: Week at a Glance | May 11–17

Why it matters: Hot Art Cool Nights takes over Mid City on Friday, Tommy Prine brings his biggest Baton Rouge stage yet on Saturday and the week opens with a civic celebration of Louisiana's arts community at the Capitol.

🗓️ Monday, May 11

🎨 Arts Day at the Capitol—10 a.m.–4 p.m. 📍 Louisiana State Capitol, 900 N. 3rd St.

• Artists and arts advocates from across the state gather at the Capitol for a day of on-camera advocacy and live artistic performance. A public celebration of Louisiana's creative community—and a reminder of what's at stake when arts funding comes up for debate. Free and open to the public.

🗓️ Wednesday, May 13

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

• The council votes on a 3.5% across-the-board raise for all city-parish employees—following last month's landmark BRPD pay increase. Would take effect June 27 at a cost of $4.2M for the remainder of 2026 and $8M annually. Full agenda can be seen online. Public comment accepted.

🗓️ Thursday, May 14

🎵 Live from Laurel Canyon: James & Joni—7:30 p.m. 📍 Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.

• Songs and stories of American folk rock—an evening celebrating the music of James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. Tickets at Manship Theatre.

🗓️ Friday, May 15

🎵 Live After Five: Big Sam's Funky Nation + Ambush Reggae Band—5–8 p.m. 📍 North Boulevard Town Square, downtown

• New Orleans powerhouse Big Sam's Funky Nation—led by trombone giant Big Sam Williams—headlines the penultimate show of the spring series, with Ambush Reggae Band opening. Free. Full lineup at the Downtown Business Association.

🎨 Hot Art Cool Nights—6–10 p.m. 📍 Government Street corridor, Mid City

• Rescheduled from May 8 due to weather, Mid City's signature spring arts festival is here. 40-plus independent businesses open their doors to visual artists, musicians, makers and chefs along the Government Street corridor from Jefferson Highway at Goodwood Boulevard to 14th Street. Free. Draws nearly 5,000 people annually. Full map at midcitymerchantsbr.org.

🎵 An Evening of Jazz and Blues for the Lincoln Theater 📍 Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.

• Benefit concert supporting one of Baton Rouge's most storied historic venues. Details and tickets at manshiptheatre.org.

🔭 Friday Night Lecture + Evening Sky Viewing—7:30–10 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, May 16

🌱 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. Also runs Thursdays, 8 a.m.–noon, at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Tuesdays, 3–6 p.m., at the Main Library at Goodwood.

🌿 Birding at Burden—7–9 a.m. 📍 LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden, 4560 Essen Lane

• Monthly guided tour through Burden's birding loops—183 species recorded on the grounds. $10, registration required.

🌿 Louisiana Cann Festival—noon–8 p.m. 📍 Galvez Plaza, 200 St. Louis St., downtown

• Baton Rouge's cannabis culture festival returns to the riverfront—live music, local vendors, food trucks and community programming celebrating Louisiana's growing cannabis industry. Tickets at Eventbrite; general admission $20 in advance.

🎵 Tommy Prine—7:30 p.m. 📍 Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.

• The son of legendary songwriter John Prine steps up to the Manship's main stage for the first time after three sold-out shows at Red Dragon Listening Room. Armed with an acoustic guitar and tracks from his forthcoming album, Prine is an artist worth catching on the way up. With opener Darrin Hacquard. Tickets $72–$94.

🗓️ Sunday, May 17

🌿 Hilltop Spring Garden Tour—1–4 p.m. 📍 Private home gardens in Southdowns, Old Goodwood, Glenmore Place and Walden

• Friends of LSU Hilltop Arboretum open the gates on private home landscapes in some of Baton Rouge's most storied neighborhoods—a self-guided stroll through gardens most residents never get to see. Tickets at lsu.edu/hilltop.

🎬 The Grocery List Show—Free Screening & Panel 📍 Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St.

• Free PBS Kids screening and community panel. Details at manshiptheatre.org.

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.