PONCHATOULA — Police and festival organizers say visitors can expect major safety changes at this year’s Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, which opens Friday, following concerns raised after a shooting at last year’s event.

Organizers and law enforcement officials say they expect big crowds to fill the streets for the annual festival, which runs through the weekend and regularly draws nearly 300,000 visitors.

Officials say final preparations continue on the festival grounds just hours before opening day.

“It’s always been to provide a family, fun, safe festival for everybody,” Chairman Rueben Auter said.

Organizers say the large-scale event brings heavy foot traffic to a relatively small area, but note that most attendees do not cause problems.

“Less than one percent is what causes the problem,” Auter said.
After violence in past years, organizers say they re-evaluated multiple aspects of the festival, including security and operating hours.

Ponchatoula Police Chief Bry Layrisson said officers worked through multiple investigations ahead of this year’s event involving threats that mentioned the festival and possible gun violence. Police have already banned several individuals from attending.

“A lot of them are juveniles. Obviously, we’re meeting with their parents, and we’re just trying to determine the validity of the threats,” Layrisson said.

Layrisson said officers also continue monitoring four active investigations tied to potential threats.

Organizers also made a key schedule change this year, closing the festival at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday instead of 10 p.m., a decision officials say reflects patterns of past incidents.

“We had to look at that and see what we could do differently. And that was the first thing that we really thought about,” Auter said.

Layrisson said despite past violence, the festival has maintained a strong safety record over its 54-year history.

“We’ve never had one homicide. Knock on wood. It’s one of the safest, largest festivals in the state of Louisiana,” he said.

Police say they will maintain a strong presence throughout the weekend as thousands of visitors arrive in Ponchatoula. The festival opens Friday at 11 a.m. and runs through Sunday.

Louisiana State Police warn drivers to expect heavy traffic and delays around Ponchatoula during the festival weekend.

Thousands of visitors could overwhelm nearby interstate exits and cause backups, with possible intermittent ramp closures. Troopers urge drivers to use alternate routes and expect congestion in the area.

- From Baton Rouge: Exit Interstate 12 Eastbound at Pumpkin Center exit 35, proceed south to LA 22, then continue east on LA 22 into Ponchatoula.
- From Covington / Slidell:  Exit Interstate 12 Westbound at LA 445 exit 47, proceed south to LA 22, then continue west on LA 22 into Ponchatoula.
- From Mandeville:  Take LA 22 west into Ponchatoula.
- From New Orleans:  Take the Causeway Bridge into Mandeville and proceed to LA 22 west into Ponchatoula.

They also encourage motorists to plan ahead, avoid impaired and distracted driving, and designate a sober driver.