Downtown at Sundown

Since its inception twenty years ago, the Downtown at Sundown series has helped to usher in other events that continue today to build downtown Lake Charles as a cultural hotspot for Southwest Louisiana. The four-week outdoor concert series annually brings thousands of people into the heart of downtown—the 1000 block of Ryan Street, between the 1911 Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center and the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse. 

Like so many cultural events that look to the future and determine what people really want out of a music festival, Downtown at Sundown goes beyond music. It brings in a huge art market to help promote and support the cultural economy workers, and all beverage proceeds are donated to the Literacy Council of SWLA. The streets are lined with local food trucks, and the event brings new and creative ways to celebrate Lake Charles' culture, like adding more local music acts.

“This citywide event has exposed our community to so much incredible talent over the past twenty years,” said Matt Young, City of Lake Charles Director of Cultural Affairs. “This year’s Downtown at Sundown is just another way to show that Lake Charles is back and better than ever.”

Thanks to a longtime collaboration between the city and the Arts & Humanities Council of SWLA, the summer music series is an annual success, much anticipated by swaths of loyal locals. Each show invites a different regional artist to show out on stage, performing Louisiana-borne genres such as swamp pop, Cajun, and especially Zydeco.

This year's dates are May 13, 20, 27, and June 3, with the weekly music lineup to be revealed at a later date. Bring foldable chairs to sit back in for when you're not dancing up a storm beneath a canopy of lights, Lake Charles culture circling all around—you’re sure to be in awe of what downtown Lake Charles has become. visitlakecharles.org.

Sponsored by Visit Lake Charles