On November 7, 2022, Stephen Accardo sat in a boat on a Lafreniere Park lagoon while Paul Clark worked above him and John Hayes helped steady a frame. They were putting together a lighted sea serpent 17½ feet tall and 75 feet long for the 36th annual Christmas in the Park. NOLA.com's photo archive recorded the scene. The serpent was built by park staff, not ordered from a catalog, and so were most of the displays around it.
This December the event reaches its 40th edition. It is also the second season since Hayes retired as park superintendent. The parish's additions for the anniversary come from partners outside the park's maintenance crew: a drone show provided through a community foundation and a drinks vendor at The Pointe. The displays at ground level are still mostly the ones a Jefferson Parish Parks & Recreation employee designed, welded and wired over three decades.
A park crew's workshop, not a holiday contractor
According to NOLA.com's profile of Hayes, he started with Jefferson Parish in 1990 in the water department. He moved to Lafreniere Park in 1994 and worked his way up from ranger to foreman to superintendent. As superintendent he oversaw maintenance and staff for the largest park on the parish's east bank. That included Uncle Sam Jam and Que Pasa Fest as well as the holiday lights.
The same article describes what the display looked like when he arrived. It was "chicken wire and wooden frames," plus some aluminum angels and snowmen donated by Avondale Shipyard. He began adding pieces in his spare time, starting with a Ferris wheel of lights. Each piece went through the same steps. He drew the design, bent and welded metal rods into a frame in a workshop just outside the park, then zip-tied colored LED strips to the frame. He chose LEDs because they need less maintenance and, as he told NOLA.com, "the squirrels don't eat them." Each November, he and about 10 other staff members installed the pieces.
Most of the pieces people remember came out of that workshop. NOLA.com lists the serpent rising from the lagoon, a grandma getting run over by a monster truck, and an "Ain't Dere No More" Christmas tree hung with neon logos of local restaurants and attractions that have closed. He also put personal touches into the work. One neon clown has a gap in its teeth to match his own.
The audience is large. NOLA.com reported that the display draws as many as 20,000 cars a year.
"It's like a family, it's the atmosphere. I'll miss everything about the park."
Hayes said that to NOLA.com when the lighting on December 1, 2024 ended his career at the park.
The first year after him added displays
The 2025 edition was the 39th and the first without Hayes, and it did not hold back. When the display opened on December 1, 2025, WGNO reported more than 10 million LED lights, artificial snow, and over 40 new displays. The new displays drew on Marvel and DC Comics, the Minions and Disney. There was also an interactive walking tour. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, Santa, Rudolph, Frosty and the Grinch made appearances, and children could watch Santa's elves building toys.
Admission has gone up over the same period, which helps with planning. NOLA.com's photo caption from the 35th edition in December 2021 lists admission at $10 per vehicle, credit and debit cards only, no cash at the gate. By 2025 a car cost $20 if you bought in advance through the Lafreniere Park website and $25 at the gate, according to WGNO. Over four editions, the gate price rose to two and a half times the 2021 price, and buying ahead became the cheaper way in.
What the parish has put on the 2026 calendar
Jefferson Parish Council actions for the 40th edition, from the August 26 resolution and the October 28 agenda:
| Date | What | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 21, 2026 – Jan. 10, 2027 | 20 to 30 wreaths, 36 inches across with red bows and no lights, on 14 to 20 concrete lamp posts along Kawanee Avenue between Power Boulevard and the Elmwood Canal | Bissonet Civic Association |
| Dec. 1 – 30, 2026, closed Christmas Day | Christmas in the Park at Lafreniere Park | Jefferson Parish |
| Dec. 1 – 30, 2026 | Beer, wine and alcohol sales at The Pointe in the park, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday | LA Purchase Kitchen, LLC, represented by Amy Quinette |
| Dec. 4, 2026 | Christmas drone show marking the 40th anniversary | Jefferson Community Foundation, under an agreement with the parish |
The drone show is the main anniversary addition, and it comes through a partner rather than the park crew. The resolution approving the agreement, adopted August 26, 2026, sets up a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the Jefferson Community Foundation, a nonprofit community foundation for the parish. The foundation will provide the December 4 show, and in return it gets to hold its meetings at the Lafreniere Park Foundation Center. The resolution says this comes "at no direct cost" to the parish. It states the public purpose as enhanced recreation for Jefferson Parish residents and promoting tourism.
So the 40th edition's new pieces come from three outside groups. A foundation is providing the show in the sky, a vendor with council permission is selling drinks at The Pointe, and a civic association is hanging wreaths along Kawanee Avenue. The welded frames on the ground are still the park's own work.
The drink hours line up with the light hours. The October 28, 2026 council agenda sets vendor hours that close at 9:30 p.m. on weeknights and 10 p.m. on weekends. In 2025 the lights shut off at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The weekend closing times match exactly.
How last year's visit worked
The parish posts each season's ticket, hours and entry details on its Christmas in the Park page. Here is how the 39th edition worked, according to WGNO:
- Address: Lafreniere Park, 3000 Downs Boulevard, Metairie.
- Opening night: The lights came on at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 1.
- Tickets: $20 per vehicle in advance through the park's website or $25 at the gate.
- Route: Cars entered from West Napoleon Avenue, drove counterclockwise around the park, and left on Downs Boulevard.
- Hours: 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
- Format: Visitors could drive through or walk the displays.
- Closed: Christmas Day.
The 2026 run uses the same dates as 2025: December 1 through 30, closed on the 25th. Check the parish page for this year's ticket price and drone show details before you go.
Before or after the loop on Veterans
Veterans Memorial Boulevard has had several openings this year.
Jamaican Jerk House opened its second location at 4445 Veterans Memorial Blvd., in the space that was Out of Bounds Sports Bar & Grill. Founders Richard Rose and Jackie Diaz are identified with the brand, according to Where Y'at. Gambit's fall 2026 dining issue lists it as serving lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
Rougabrew, the coffee shop from Vinh and Courtney Le, opened in August in the former Ash & Ollie's at 1645 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Where Y'at reported.
The same Where Y'at roundup lists Eiffel Waffle at 7304 Veterans Memorial Blvd., near David Drive. It also notes that YummieBox Hibachi Express moved from David Drive to 1700 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 100.
The lights will come on again on December 1 with what Hayes built, and on December 4 the anniversary show will be in the sky above them. When it is your turn to talk about your home's story, The Martzolf Group can explain what it is worth and help you present it the way it deserves. Request Your Home Valuation.
