BOSSIER CITY, La. — Louisiana Grandstand is planning a major multi-phase development at the Louisiana Boardwalk that would add a new restaurant and listening room, a roughly 2,700-seat concert hall, museum experiences and outdoor performance spaces along the Red River.
According to Louisiana Grandstand, the privately funded development will begin with The Parish Standard, an approximately 220-seat restaurant and dedicated listening room planned for the former Joe’s Crab Shack space. The venue is expected to open in November 2026.
The concept will combine Louisiana-inspired food and cocktails with live music, with the space operating as a restaurant during the day and transitioning to ticketed concerts on weekend evenings.
The Parish Standard is intended to be the first piece of a larger entertainment destination centered around Louisiana Grandstand’s move from its current home at the Woman’s Department Club in Shreveport.
The centerpiece of the larger project is a new Louisiana Grandstand concert hall with an anticipated capacity of approximately 2,700 people. The auditorium is currently targeted to open in the first quarter of 2027.
Louisiana Grandstand said the venue will be designed around an intimate live-music experience despite its larger capacity, taking inspiration from venues such as Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Additional phases are expected to include the Louisiana Legends Museum, outdoor stages and other entertainment and tourism amenities.
The stated goal is to create a destination that encourages visitors to stay longer and experience more of Northwest Louisiana rather than attending a single concert and leaving the area.
Part of broader Boardwalk investment
The Louisiana Grandstand announcement comes as the Louisiana Boardwalk continues to see new investment and tenant activity.
The Boardwalk reported more than $13.5 million in tenant investment during the past two years, along with approximately $3.5 million in realized and projected investment by property ownership.
That ownership investment includes property improvements, security staffing, marketing, tenant recruitment, events and programming.
“We are looking at the Boardwalk through a much larger lens,” John O’Shaughnessy, principal at Commercial Retail Group, said in the announcement. “It’s about making thoughtful, intentional investments that build on one another and create a stronger destination over time.”
The Boardwalk has also added The Picklr, which recently opened an 11-court pickleball facility at the property. A related culinary concept, The Brine, is also planned.
The Louisiana Grandstand development represents another piece of what Boardwalk ownership describes as a broader effort to reposition the riverfront property as an entertainment and tourism destination.
Building on Northwest Louisiana’s music history
Louisiana Grandstand was founded in 2019 with a focus on American Roots music and the region’s musical heritage.
The organization currently operates from the historic Woman’s Department Club on Margaret Place in Shreveport, where its roughly 400-seat theater has hosted touring and regional artists.
Louisiana Grandstand has presented artists including Zach Top, Jordan Davis, Kix Brooks, Marty Stuart, Marcus King, Robert Earl Keen, Sara Evans, Red Clay Strays and The Castellows.
The larger Boardwalk concept is intended to build on Northwest Louisiana’s music history, including the legacy of the Louisiana Hayride, while creating a larger venue capable of attracting more touring acts and visitors.
The move also comes as Bossier City leaders are considering the creation of The Row, a proposed economic development district designed to connect the city’s casinos, East Bank District, Louisiana Boardwalk and other riverfront attractions into a more unified tourism destination.
While the Louisiana Grandstand project is privately funded and separate from The Row proposal, its location and timing closely align with the broader effort to increase entertainment, dining and visitor activity along Bossier City’s riverfront.
Louisiana Grandstand said additional improvements, partnerships and announcements connected to the Boardwalk project are expected in the coming months.