The Three Rivers Art Festival takes over downtown Covington, Louisiana, on Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15, 2026, with about 200 juried artists set up along Columbia Street. The Covington Three Rivers Art Festival opens at 10 a.m. both days, and admission has been free in recent years. From Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula, downtown Covington is about 25 to 30 minutes east, close enough to sleep at camp and shop all day.
2026 is a milestone year. The festival’s 2026 call for artists, listed on EntryThingy, bills it as the 30th annual festival and says the Covington Three Rivers Art Festival “attracts 50,000+ visitors.” That same weekend, LSU hosts Texas at Tiger Stadium on Saturday and the Saints play the Carolina Panthers at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, so don’t wait until the last minute to book your spot.
- When: Saturday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, opening at 10 a.m.
- Where: the 200 through 600 blocks of Columbia Street in downtown Covington
- Cost: admission was free in 2025, and Visit The Northshore says parking is free
- Drive from Fireside: roughly 17 miles, mostly on I-12 East
- Where to stay: full-hookup RV sites and cabins at Fireside RV Resort, with no resort fee
When is the Three Rivers Art Festival 2026?
The Three Rivers Art Festival 2026 runs Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15, in downtown Covington. The festival’s official site lists hours of 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The festival’s 2026 call for artists has booths closing at 4 p.m. on Sunday, so shop early that day if there’s a piece you’ve got your eye on.
Three Rivers goes on rain or shine, according to the festival’s 2026 call for artists. Here’s the official schedule of events for the weekend:
- Saturday, November 14: the festival and the Children’s Village open at 10 a.m. Music starts at 5:15 p.m., the Artists Awards follow at 5:30 p.m., and more music kicks off at 7 p.m.
- Sunday, November 15: the festival and the Children’s Village open at 10 a.m. The Student Art Awards take place at 3 p.m. at the Covington Trailhead.
Where is the Three Rivers Art Festival in Covington, LA?
The Three Rivers Art Festival lines Columbia Street in historic downtown Covington, Louisiana, from the 200 block up through the 600 block. Covington is the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish and sits at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and Tchefuncte rivers.
The official festival website groups its exhibitors by block, and Block 200 starts at Rutland and Columbia. The Three Rivers Art Festival’s headquarters sits at 419 North New Hampshire Street. Want to find a favorite artist fast? Check the block pages before you go.
What can you see at the Three Rivers Art Festival?
Quality runs high at Three Rivers. The festival’s official site lists ceramics, paintings, photography, fiber art, woodworking, metalwork, sculptures and jewelry in booths lining both sides of Columbia Street. According to the festival’s 2026 call for artists, a jury of three prominent arts representatives and one alternate picks the exhibitors.
The Covington show has come a long way. MyNewOrleans reported in 2025 that the Three Rivers Art Festival has “grown from a celebration of 49 artists to more than 200 exhibitors.” Festival board member Sarada Bonnett told the magazine, “Three Rivers is truly a showcase of many of the most talented and innovative artists in the country, including many from here at home.”
Folks drive in from all over for this one. Visit The Northshore’s write-up of the 2024 festival says Three Rivers artists come from 28 states, and plenty of Louisiana and Gulf Coast talent shows up alongside them. A few more things worth knowing:
- For the kids. The festival’s 2026 children’s area page lists Ballet Apetrei, where kids decorate toe shoes and learn about the Nutcracker, plus GrayHawk Perkins, a tribal storyteller and performer who lives in Mandeville.
- For the hungry. Visit The Northshore says past menus at Three Rivers have run from turkey gumbo, crawfish étouffée and shrimp and grits to gyros, tacos and an alligator sausage po-boy.
- For the gift list. A mid-November date makes the Three Rivers Art Festival a great place to knock out holiday shopping with something handmade.
Is the Three Rivers Art Festival free?
It has been, and that’s half the charm. MyNewOrleans told readers “Admission is free!” in its preview of the 2025 Three Rivers Art Festival. Visit The Northshore’s festival page says parking is free, too, so your only spending is the art, food and drinks you pick up along Columbia Street.
Some practical tips for festival day:
- Get there for the 10 a.m. opening. You’ll get first pick of the booths and a calmer walk down Columbia Street.
- Bring a layer. NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate normals for its Covington 4 NNW station show an average November high of 69.8°F and an average November low of 46.9°F.
- Wear good walking shoes. Five blocks of booths add up, especially if you double back for that painting you can’t stop thinking about.
- Stay for Saturday evening. The official schedule has music at 5:15 p.m. and 7 p.m., with the Artists Awards in between.
How do you get to downtown Covington from I-12?
Fireside RV Resort is about 25 to 30 minutes west of downtown Covington, roughly 17 miles, and most of that drive is on I-12. Fireside’s front gate on Hwy 445 sits just about a mile from Exit 47, so you’ll spend almost no time on two-lane roads.
- From Fireside RV Resort, take Hwy 445 to I-12 at Exit 47.
- Head east on I-12 for about 12 miles to Exit 59, LA 21 toward Covington and Madisonville.
- Follow LA 21 into downtown Covington, park, and walk over to Columbia Street.
Where should you stay for the Three Rivers Art Festival?
For a Three Rivers weekend, a comfortable and budget-friendly base is Fireside RV Resort, a Ponchatoula campground minutes from I-12. Pick a full-hookup site for your camper or rent a cabin under the pines, then drive east to the festival, and your final bill won’t carry any surprise resort charge. Fireside is family-owned and family-operated, and we’d be tickled to host you that weekend.
So what makes the best place to stay near Covington for festival weekend? Easy interstate access, honest pricing and a quiet spot to rest up after hours of walking booths. Here’s what you’ll get at Fireside:
- Full hookups everywhere. Each of the 165 full-hookup RV sites at Fireside RV Resort has sewer and water connections and 30/50-amp electric. Cookouts are easy, since each Fireside site has a fire ring for grilling and its own picnic table.
- No junk fees. Fireside keeps the bill honest with zero resort fee, no charge for locking in a particular site, and no community impact fee.
- Cabins, no RV needed. Fireside’s 10 cabins have heat and AC and a full kitchen. Fireside’s standard cabins sleep six and the one accessible cabin sleeps four. Fireside cabins don’t come with linens, so bring bedding and bath towels from home.
- Bring the dog. Leashed pets (6-foot leash max, or kept in a contained area) can stay with you at Fireside RV sites, though pets aren’t permitted in the cabins.
- Handy extras. Fireside has free Wi-Fi throughout the resort, on-site laundry, a camp store for anything you forgot, and a lakeside dock for casting a line.
November pricing is friendly, and the festival weekend lines up with a Sunday deal. Here’s what a Three Rivers weekend looks like at Fireside RV Resort, per night:
Each Fireside rate includes as many as four guests on the site. Fireside offers the Sunday-through-Wednesday special during September, November and December, holidays excluded. Rolling in Saturday morning? Check-in at Fireside starts at 3 p.m., yet early check-in costs nothing whenever your site is already open, so you could park the rig early and still catch the 10 a.m. opening.
Thinking about staying longer this winter? Fireside’s $650 monthly rate for standard RV sites runs November 1 through March 31, and Fireside handles those monthly bookings by phone, (985) 277-1059, instead of through online booking. Check Fireside’s rates for everything else.
What else is happening near Covington that weekend?
The Three Rivers Art Festival weekend, November 14 and 15, 2026, is a packed one around Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula. A Renaissance Festival, two big football games and a Saturday farmers market all land within an easy drive, so you can turn your art trip into a two-event weekend.
- Louisiana Renaissance Festival. November 14 and 15 is Pirate Weekend at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival in Hammond, open 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. The festival grounds are roughly 10 minutes from Fireside. Our Renaissance Festival guide has the details.
- LSU vs. Texas. LSU hosts Texas at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, November 14, with kickoff still listed as TBA on the LSU schedule. Fireside is about 45 miles from Tiger Stadium.
- Saints vs. Panthers. The New Orleans Saints host the Carolina Panthers at the Caesars Superdome at noon on Sunday, November 15. Fireside is roughly 50 miles from the Superdome, about an hour’s drive.
- Covington Farmers Market. The Covington Farmers Market lists Saturday hours of 8 a.m. to noon at Covington City Hall, 609 North Columbia Street, right on the festival’s home street.
- Tammany Trace. The Tammany Trace begins in downtown Covington, and St. Tammany Parish has asphalted 31 miles of the old rail line. The section between Gordon Avenue and the Abita Springs Trailhead is closed for a bridge replacement expected to wrap up by the end of 2026, so check the Trace closures page before you ride.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Covington Three Rivers Art Festival opens at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15, 2026. The official festival site lists hours of 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., while the festival’s 2026 call for artists closes booths at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Plan your Sunday shopping for the morning or early afternoon.
The Three Rivers Art Festival runs along Columbia Street from the 200 block to the 600 block in downtown Covington. The official festival website lists exhibitors block by block, starting with Block 200 at Rutland and Columbia, which works as a handy map for finding specific artists.
The Covington Three Rivers Art Festival is held outdoors rain or shine, according to the festival’s 2026 call for artists. Toss a rain jacket and an umbrella in the car if the forecast looks iffy.
Downtown Covington is roughly 17 miles from Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula, about 25 to 30 minutes by way of I-12 East and LA 21. Since Fireside is around one mile from Exit 47, big rigs and cars alike have a simple interstate run.
Fireside RV Resort rents out 10 cabins in Ponchatoula, a short drive west of downtown Covington. A Fireside cabin runs $165 per night in any season. Fireside’s standard cabins sleep up to six and the accessible cabin sleeps four, and since the cabins come without linens, bring sheets and towels. Fireside’s cabins are pet-free and smoke-free.
Fireside RV Resort is about 25 to 30 minutes west of the Three Rivers Art Festival via I-12, so you can browse Columbia Street until the last booth closes and be back at your site in time for supper. See what’s open for November 14 and 15 and lock in your weekend!
