FOREST HILL — The Louisiana Nursery Festival celebrated its 40th anniversary this weekend, drawing visitors from across the region to the small Rapides Parish community built around the nursery industry.

The three-day festival, held March 20-22 at 4300 La. Hwy. 112, featured carnival rides, food booths, live entertainment, a Saturday parade and more than 100 vendors offering plants, trees, flowers and handmade crafts. Admission was free.

Jenna Arnold, a sophomore at Alexandria Senior High School, was crowned the 2026-27 Louisiana Nursery Festival Queen.

Forest Hill, a community of roughly 800 residents, is home to upward of 200 plant nurseries that operate largely as wholesale businesses throughout the year but open to the public each March for the festival. Mayor Elizabeth Jeter said the nurseries generate nearly $1 billion in revenue annually, making them a major economic driver for Central Louisiana.

The festival, originally organized to benefit a private school, now raises funds for the Forest Hill Volunteer Fire Department, Fire District 17.

The Louisiana Nursery Festival is held annually the third full weekend of March in Forest Hill.