PLAN YOUR VISIT
Everything you need to know
Four days of free concerts across nine venues in Ruston and Monroe. Here's how to get here, where to park, and what to expect.
Getting here
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The festival takes place across Ruston and Monroe, Louisiana. Monroe Regional Airport (MLU) is the convenient option for those flying to the bayou. If you're driving, Ruston is located at the junction of I-20 and US-167. Monroe is at the junction of I-20 and US-165. We are an easy drive from Shreveport (70-100 mi), Jackson (120-150 mi), and Little Rock (180 mi).​
By air
Monroe Regional Airport (MLU)
By car
I-20 & US-167/US-165; free parking
Getting around
Free shuttle for composers
Venues & parking
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These nine venues across Ruston and Monroe (about 35 min apart) hosted our 2026 festival all with free parking. Where we gather shifts a bit each year. Our 2027 locations will be confirmed as the season nears. The schedule page shows which events happened where and when.
F Jay Taylor Visual Arts Center
Louisiana Tech campus · park in any zone except where the curb is painted red
Emy-Lou Biedenharn Recital Hall
ULM campus · park in any zone except where prohibited
Walker & Co, The Loft
Downtown Ruston · street parking
Stone Theatre
Louisiana Tech campus · park in any zone except where the curb is painted red
Flying Tiger Brewery
Downtown Monroe · street parking
Dixie Center for the Arts
Downtown Ruston · street parking
Biedenharn Museum & Gardens
Riverside · free lot
Biomedical Engineering Building Rotunda
Louisiana Tech campus · park in any zone except where the curb is painted red
Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge
North Monroe · free lot in front of Visitor Welcome Center
Where to stay
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Most visitors stay in West Monroe hotels near the Downing Pines Road exit or in Ruston hotels near the LA 33 exit. Composers are offered a free shuttle from those locations daily. For visitors with their own transportation, you'll find national hotel chains plus a handful of local options in both communities.
What to expect
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Concerts are free and open to everyone. Dress is casual. Performance venues range from recital halls to outdoor settings, and our open-rehearsal format means you can watch pieces come together before the formal concert. Composers introduce themselves and their festival piece during scheduled presentation sessions, also open to the public.