Legendary Music Venue, The Louisiana Grandstand to Announce Multiple Properties & New Riverfront Home at The Boardwalk, Starting With The Parish Standard - A Restaurant & Listening Room, The Louisiana Grandstand Concert Hall, The Louisiana Legends Museum and Several Outdoor Stages.

 

Louisiana Grandstand | Louisiana Boardwalk | Performance Video | Additional Visual Assets

BOSSIER CITY, LA — After years of building a reputation as one of the nation's most distinctive destinations for American Roots music, Louisiana Grandstand is entering its next chapter.

The Louisiana Grandstand has announced plans for a new, privately funded, multi-phase destination at the Louisiana Boardwalk in Bossier City, bringing together live music, dining, hospitality, history and future entertainment experiences along the Red River. The first phase of the project, The Parish Standard, is set to open in November 2026, establishing the foundation for what will ultimately become a larger Louisiana Grandstand destination designed to draw both locals and visitors to the region.

Since its concert debut in 2019, Louisiana Grandstand has become known for its intimate, acoustics-first approach to live music, presenting artists whose work spans country, Americana, folk, roots and Southern music. Its stages have welcomed nationally recognized artists including Zach Top, Jordan Davis, Kix Brooks, Marty Stuart, Marcus King, Robert Earl Keen, Sara Evans, Red Clay Strays, The Castellows, and Braxton Keith, among many others.

The Louisiana Grandstand has earned national and regional media attention from outlets including All Country News, MusicRow, Country Roads Magazine, the Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate, KTAL-TV and KTBS-TV, highlighting its role in strengthening Northwest Louisiana’s reputation as a destination for authentic live music and its commitment to supporting the region’s next generation of artists, including through its Artist Ambassador Program featuring Shreveport natives Kix Brooks and Jordan Davis.

 

THE PARISH STANDARD: WHERE MUSIC COMES FIRST

Opening in November 2026, The Parish Standard will be the first venue within the new Louisiana Grandstand development at the Louisiana Boardwalk.

Located in the former Joe's Crab Shack space, The Parish Standard will be an approximately 220-seat restaurant and dedicated listening room designed around one central principle: music comes first.

The concept will combine a Louisiana-inspired kitchen, thoughtful cocktails and an intimate live music environment, creating a space where guests can enjoy a meal and a show without sacrificing the intimacy and authenticity that have defined Louisiana Grandstand from the beginning. The menu will feature simple Louisiana-inspired fare, with guests ordering at the counter and receiving table service.

The Parish Standard will operate Tuesday through Sunday, serving guests throughout the day before transforming into a music-focused venue each weekend evening with ticketed concerts featuring artists connected to the Louisiana Grandstand brand. Inspired by the New Orleans Garden District, the space is designed as a welcoming riverfront destination centered on great music, great food and great atmosphere.

Whether stopping in for dinner, a concert or cocktails, The Parish Standard gives locals and visitors another reason to experience the Louisiana Boardwalk. Guests are encouraged to explore the surrounding shops, dining and riverfront before or after performances, making The Parish Standard part of a larger evening at the Boardwalk.

 

FROM THE LOUISIANA HAYRIDE TO THE LOUISIANA GRANDSTAND

The new Louisiana Grandstand project is rooted in the rich musical history of Shreveport and Northwest Louisiana, a region that has long shaped American music through artists like Lead Belly and the legendary Louisiana Hayride. Broadcast from Shreveport from 1948 through 1960, the Hayride helped launch the careers of Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton and Kitty Wells, among many others.

Founded in 2019, Louisiana Grandstand was created to carry forward that spirit of musical discovery. Its original home, the historic Woman’s Department Club, built in 1925 and known as the “Lady on Line,” further connected the organization to the region’s cultural legacy. The theater has welcomed notable figures including Robert Frost, Katharine Hepburn and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Louisiana Grandstand began its partnership with the Woman’s Department Club in 2020 and presented its first concert there in 2021, establishing an intimate destination for touring artists, regional talent and music fans. The new Louisiana Boardwalk project builds on that foundation, bringing the Grandstand’s legacy into its next chapter.

 

A NEW CHAPTER AT THE LOUISIANA BOARDWALK

The Louisiana Boardwalk continues to gain momentum as ongoing investment and new partnerships shape the property's next chapter.

Over the past two years, The Boardwalk has seen more than $13.5 million in tenant investment, along with $3.5 million in realized and projected investment from property ownership supporting property improvements, marketing, security, events and tenant recruitment.

“We are looking at the Boardwalk through a much larger lens,” said John O’Shaughnessy, Principal at Commercial Retail Group. “It’s about making thoughtful, intentional investments that build on one another and create a stronger destination over time.”

The arrival of Louisiana Grandstand marks another significant step in The Boardwalk’s evolution, with additional improvements, partnerships and announcements expected in the months ahead.

 

WHAT COMES NEXT

While The Parish Standard will open first, it represents only the beginning of the larger Louisiana Grandstand development.

A future Louisiana Grandstand auditorium is planned as the project's centerpiece, with an anticipated capacity of approximately 2,700 guests. Designed to deliver a premium live music experience in an intimate environment, the auditorium will draw inspiration from legendary listening rooms and theaters such as Nashville's Ryman Auditorium while creating an identity of its own.

The auditorium is currently targeted to open approximately six months after The Parish Standard, with an anticipated opening in the first quarter of 2027.

Additional components of the larger development are also planned, including museum experiences, future outdoor spaces and other destination-focused amenities designed to encourage visitors to spend multiple days exploring Northwest Louisiana.

The goal is ambitious: to create a destination where a visitor can come for a concert and find an entire week of reasons to stay.

As Louisiana Grandstand moves from its intimate original home into a new riverfront destination, the mission remains unchanged: put great artists in front of great audiences, support the next generation of musicians and continue the musical story of Northwest Louisiana.

The venue may be changing. The music is not.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Louisiana Grandstand co-founder, Stephen Gillum please contact email David@mypr-lab.com. 

 

 

 

WHO:
Louisiana Grandstand, an American Roots music organization founded to grow and innovate the music scene in Northwest Louisiana.

WHAT:
The launch of a new, multi-phase Louisiana Grandstand destination at the Louisiana Boardwalk, beginning with The Parish Standard, an approximately 220-seat Louisiana-inspired restaurant and dedicated listening room.

WHEN:
The Parish Standard is scheduled to open in November 2026. The future Louisiana Grandstand auditorium is currently targeted for Q1 2027.

WHERE:
Louisiana Boardwalk

WHY:
To create a new destination for live music, dining, culture and tourism in Northwest Louisiana while honoring the region’s rich musical legacy. 

About The Boardwalk:

The Boardwalk continues to build momentum as ongoing investment, strategic improvements and new partnerships shape the property's next chapter.

 

Over the past two years, the property has seen over $13.5 million in tenant investment. Additionally, there is a total of $3.5 million in realized and projected investment by property ownership. The $3.5 million includes, but is not limited to, physical property improvements, competitive rent negotiations, additional staffing of a security team, marketing strategy and tenant recruiting, annual events and programming; and additional investments planned as part of a long-term vision for the destination. The property's existing four-story parking garage, owned by Bossier City, has also seen recent improvements.

 

"We are looking at the Boardwalk through a much larger lens," said John O'Shaughnessy, Principal at Commercial Retail Group. "This isn't about one improvement or one announcement. It's about making thoughtful, intentional investments that build on one another and create a stronger destination over time. Every improvement, every new partner and every new experience contributes to where we want The Boardwalk to be five years from now."

 

Improvements to the property are being paired with a carefully considered mix of businesses, experiences and programming designed to complement one another and create a more cohesive destination.

 

National franchise The Picklr recently opened a location at The Boardwalk. "We chose The Boardwalk because we wanted to be part of the revitalization here,” said Chris Phillips, Co-Owner and Developer of The Picklr at the Boardwalk. "That's played out faster than we expected. Our membership drive exceeded every expectation we had going in, and today we're serving hundreds of active members across our 11 courts. And we're not done. Next month we open The Brine, the first culinary concept to be added to a Picklr franchise. Chef Gabriel Balderas is bringing an elevated concept to what we'd argue is the most beautiful view from any restaurant in Shreveport-Bossier."

 

The announcement of Louisiana Grandstand's entrance into the property is another indication of the vision for the property's realization, with additional improvements, partnerships and announcements expected in the months ahead.

 

The Boardwalk sits at the center of substantial investment and activity along Bossier City's riverfront, serving as a growing entertainment destination for the region overall. The progress is underway, momentum is building, and there is more to come.

 

For information on leasing, contact General Manager Jeremy Slaughter at jeremy@routhgroup.com

For media inquiries contact Abigail Smith at abigail@goksm.com.