Slidell Heritage Fest offers more supervised play for kids

An expanded kids’ activity area will bring even more fun to the 27th Slidell Heritage Festival scheduled for June 28 at Heritage Park.

The festival is a joint venture of the Rotary Club of Slidell and Rotary Club of Slidell Northshore, joined by the city of Slidell, NOLA.com and The St. Tammany Farmer to provide an Independence Day celebration for the community.

Since its inception, the festival has raised more than $1 million for nonprofit organizations in St. Tammany. Recipients of the 2025 event are Slidell Police Association, the Boy

Scouts Cypress District, East St. Tammany Rainbow Child Care Center, Free NOLA and Hospice House.

Rotarian Kendra Davis said the festival’s kids’ area is one of the event’s most unique features. “It really sets us apart from other festivals in the area,” she said.

Festival volunteers monitor and supervise kids in the activity area so parents can eat, drink and listen to music while their offspring are also having fun in another area. 

Among the kids’ activities are pony rides, waterslides, and arts/crafts. The new features include an interactive science center, a golf putting green and a firefighter challenge staffed by Slidell Fire Department personnel.

“The firefighter challenge will be so fun! Kids get practice carrying water buckets and rolling up hoses. You wouldn’t believe how heavy they are,” Davis said. “Everything in the kids area is interactive and hands-on. There are so many ways for them to play and have fun.”

Details on all of the kids’ activities can be found at https://www.slidellheritagefest.org/.

Davis said while adults are also welcome to jump on the waterslides, they may be more interested in the live music, arts and crafts booths and multiple food and beverage vendors offering everything from standard festival fare to upscale seafood dishes and plenty of cool treats.

She said festival organizers listened to feedback from festivalgoers from the past few years and shifted fest hours from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., allowing temperatures to drop a bit before doors open.

Fireworks begin at 9 p.m., with Amanda Shaw performing before the show and the Chee Wees taking the stage immediately following the fireworks display.

Admission is $15 for ages 13 and older, and no charge for the younger. Get tickets at https://www.eventbrit.com/e/slidell-heritage-festival-2025-tickets-840860966787.