When the first Merry Market came to Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, it ran two days and The Advocate counted more than 228 vendor booths. This November it runs three days. Lamar-Dixon bills it as Louisiana's largest indoor and outdoor Christmas shopping show, with more than 400 booths. FoodeesFest returns to Tanger Outlets Gonzales on the same three days, Nov. 13 through 15, with free admission.
The timing on the road is what's new this year. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development expects the temporary lane setups at the LA 30 and I-10 interchange to stay in place through Friday, Nov. 13. That is the day both events open. The roundabouts themselves aren't expected to work until late November or early December. So Gonzales's biggest holiday shopping weekend lands between phases of the rebuild, and a little planning around the interchange will help.
Merry Market Has Nearly Doubled Since Its First Gonzales Show
Anne Ogea had been producing Christmas shopping shows for 22 years when she announced the first Gonzales Merry Market, according to The Advocate. General admission was $10 back then. Part of the proceeds went to the Bella Bowman Foundation, and children under 10 got in free. WAFB covered the show at Lamar-Dixon in November 2022.
Four years later, the price at the door has barely changed and the show has roughly doubled. A single-day ticket for 2026 is still $10, plus a $0.25 service fee. A weekend pass is $15, plus a $0.38 fee. Lamar-Dixon's event listing says you can buy tickets online or at the door, children under 10 still get in free, and parking is free. The show has also grown beyond one season. Merry Market's site now lists a spring show for March 6 and 7, 2027, alongside the November dates.
Hours for 2026 change by day, according to Lamar-Dixon's listing:
| Day | Merry Market hours |
|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 13 | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 14 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Sunday, Nov. 15 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
Saturday also has a separately ticketed VIP and Mimosas session from 8 a.m. to noon. The fall market page lists private shopping from 8 to 10 a.m., a vendor discount through noon, a mimosa and a treat, swag, and parking close to the doors. The 2026 VIP price isn't posted alongside those details, so check the Merry Market site before you plan around it.
Names on the fall vendor roster include:
- BBQ Shrimp Guy
- Creel's Kettle Corn and Prokskins
- French Settlement Roasting Co.
- Magnolia Cookie Bar
- Merle Norman Gonzales/The Best Dressed
FoodeesFest Is Back for a Second November at Tanger
FoodeesFest is newer than Merry Market and smaller. Its schedule has settled into the same mid-November slot, though. The Gonzales Weekly Citizen covered last year's festival at Tanger, which ran Nov. 14 to 16, 2025. This year it lines up exactly with Merry Market's three days.
The Advocate reports that the festival brings together food trucks, restaurants, dessert and drink makers, artisans and crafters. Foodees owner Tricia Croft told the paper the event is "a celebration of our community's culinary diversity and creative spirit." The hours run from 1 to 7 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free. The official event page says registering for a ticket is optional and parking on site is free.
The vendor lineup is still growing. So far it names Allottasweetz, BBQ X, Bayou Eatz, Devine Delicacy, Fully Loaded Catering and Iced Kreamz, and the page says more vendors are joining.
Put the two schedules together and you can see how the weekend fits. Merry Market opens earlier each morning and closes earlier each afternoon. FoodeesFest runs until 7 p.m. all three days. On Sunday, FoodeesFest stays open three hours after the last Merry Market booth closes.
| Merry Market | FoodeesFest | |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Lamar-Dixon Expo Center | Tanger Outlets Gonzales |
| Admission | $10 per day or $15 weekend pass, plus fees | Free |
| Children | Under 10 free | Free for all |
| Parking | Free | Free on site |
| Latest closing | 6 p.m. Friday | 7 p.m. all three days |
| Earliest opening | 8 a.m. Saturday, VIP ticket only | 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday |
The Interchange Is in Its Final Temporary Phase That Weekend
Tanger Outlets sits at I-10 and LA 30, right where DOTD is rebuilding the interchange. In its Sept. 29 update, the agency said the project was moving into its final stages. It laid out two lane changes:
- Since Friday, Oct. 2: The left-turn lane from westbound LA 30 to the I-10 eastbound on-ramp is closed. Drivers headed for I-10 eastbound keep going to the roundabout at Robert Wilson Road and St. Landry Avenue, make a U-turn there, and then come back east on LA 30 to the on-ramp.
- Beginning Monday, Oct. 26: The left-turn lane from eastbound LA 30 to I-10 westbound is scheduled to close. The existing eastbound through lane becomes a temporary left-turn lane for I-10 westbound, and the right through lane stays open.
- Through Friday, Nov. 13: DOTD expects both temporary setups to stay in place.
- Late November or early December: The roundabouts are expected to be working and open to traffic, weather permitting. Overall completion is expected in late January.
Once the second change is in place, eastbound LA 30 has one through lane at the ramp while the other lane carries traffic onto I-10 westbound. Eastbound drivers who aren't getting on the interstate will want the right lane. Westbound drivers headed for I-10 eastbound will make the U-turn at the Robert Wilson and St. Landry roundabout.
Nov. 13 is the end date DOTD has given for this phase. It isn't a promise that the lanes reopen that morning. The release says the roundabouts will open late in November or in early December, but it doesn't describe the layout between those two points. DOTD also asks drivers to expect delays, especially at peak travel times, and to allow extra time. On Friday, Nov. 13, the shopping weekend starts while ordinary weekday traffic is still running through the interchange.
Planning the Weekend Around the Road
The schedules and DOTD's timeline suggest one way to order the weekend:
- Saturday morning at Lamar-Dixon. The VIP session starts at 8 a.m., and general admission opens at 10. Both are earlier than anything at Tanger, so you can shop the 400-plus booths before the outlets get busy.
- Late afternoon at Tanger. Merry Market closes at 5 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, but FoodeesFest runs until 7 both days. Food trucks after the market closes is a simple way to finish the day.
- A weekend pass if you'll go twice. At $15 plus the fee, the pass costs less than two $10 day tickets. That helps if you want to scout the market on Friday and come back later for what you saw.
- Check DOTD before you leave on Friday. The temporary setups are expected to last through that day, so look at the DOTD announcements page for any schedule change before you drive toward I-10.
Lamar-Dixon's November calendar also lists the Walk to End Alzheimer's on Saturday, Nov. 21, the weekend after. By then the roundabouts may be close to opening, and it may be easier to get around the interchange than it will be on Nov. 13.
I've watched the LA 30 corridor change one lane closure at a time, and I'm always glad to share what I'm seeing with neighbors. If you're planning around the roadwork this fall, whether that's a holiday weekend or a bigger move in Ascension Parish, Jodie B. Strain would love to help you think it through. Let's Connect.
