National Louisiana Day Date in the current year: November 9, 2025

Louisiana is a state in the southern United States bordered by Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas. It is known for its unique French heritage, reflected in its toponyms (including the state’s name), dialects, culture, demographics, and legal system, as well as for its multiculturalism, which sets Louisiana apart from the rest of the American South.

The first Europeans to visit Louisiana were Spanish explorers such as Pánfilo de Narváez and Hernando de Soto in the first half of the 16th century. However, the Spanish only passed through the region and did not attempt to colonize it. A century and a half later, French and French Canadian expeditions visited Louisiana.

In 1682, the region was named Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV. The French claimed the entire drainage basin of the Mississippi River, stretching from the Appalachian Mountains to the Rocky Mountains and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. Seventeen years later, Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville established the first permanent settlement in Louisiana, near present-day Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

In 1762, France secretly ceded Louisiana to Spain in the Treaty of Fontainebleau. The following year, France, Great Britain, Spain, and Portugal signed the Treaty of Paris after France’s and Spain’s defeat in the Seven Years’ War. Through this treaty, France ceded the eastern part of Louisiana to Great Britain, and the rest of Louisiana was formally ceded to Spain.

After coming to power as First Consul of the French Republic, Napoleon Bonaparte sought to reclaim Louisiana for France. Consequently, France and Spain secretly signed the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800, whereby Spain exchanged Louisiana for territories in Tuscany.

Because the treaty was secret, France did not assume control of Louisiana for over two years. Shortly before doing so, however, Napoleon agreed to sell Louisiana to the United States. After months of negotiations, the Louisiana Purchase was officially announced on July 4, 1803. A formal transfer ceremony was held on November 29.

In March 1804, the United States divided the newly acquired territory along the 33rd parallel north into the District of Louisiana (which was subsequently organized as the Louisiana Territory) and the Territory of Orleans. On April 30, 1812, the Territory of Orleans was formally admitted to the Union as the state of Louisiana. To avoid confusion, the Louisiana Territory was renamed the Missouri Territory.

National Louisiana Day, like other national state days in National Day Calendar’s project, does not coincide with Louisiana’s actual admission anniversary. The National State Days project celebrates the states in the order they joined the Union, starting with National Delaware Day on July 13. Consequently, National Louisiana Day falls on November 9.