CONVENT - St. James Parish officials announced Friday that the Lighting of the Bonfires on Christmas Eve will return for the 2021 holiday season.

The much-anticipated annual event, typically attended by an international audience, is a unique tradition for St. James Parish that involves lighting bonfires on Christmas Eve to provide a lighted path for Papa Noel to travel as he brings Christmas joy to the children of the River Parishes.

Parish President Pete Dufresne noted, "I am overjoyed to have this special event return to our community this year. I want to thank our parish council, festival of the bonfires officials, and our local leaders for working together to ensure this event was made possible again this year. I look forward to sharing in the holiday season with our residents and I know this Christmas will be one to remember."

To safely conduct this event, permits are required for families planning to construct a bonfire on the levee.

Beginning November 20, Permits will be available at the St. James Parish Welcome Center in Gramercy located at 1094 Airline Hwy. Permits can be obtained between the hours of 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Permits can be paid for by check or money order only, and due to strict insurance requirements, the 2021 bonfire season is from November 21 - December 27, 2021 only.

Officials say no one will be allowed to access the levee prior to November 21 for any bonfire-related activities.

More information, including downloadable permit applications can be found at the following link: www.stjamesla.com.