Last November, the event listing on The Scout Guide told shoppers to "follow the pink balloons to your favorite shopping spots on Metairie Road." This year Pink Friday falls on November 20. That is a full week before Black Friday, and six days before most of Old Metairie has started planning Thanksgiving dinner. The weekend's real hook is a store credit you earn in November and can only spend on a later visit, which is why the corridor's holiday shopping keeps going long after the weekend ends.
A national idea on a Metairie Road schedule
Pink Friday did not start in Old Metairie. The Boutique Hub, a national network of small retailers, created it in 2020 to get shoppers into independent stores before the big-box Black Friday rush. The national Pink Friday site sets it every year on the Friday before Black Friday and lists this year's date as November 20, 2026.
Metairie Road runs its own version over two days. The Metairie Road Business Association's calendar lists it from 8 a.m. Friday, November 20, through 5 p.m. Saturday, November 21. Each shop sets its own hours inside that window. ZukaBaby, for example, lists 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
In 2020, the first year, NOLA.com counted nearly 30 Metairie Road-area participants. By November 2024, WDSU reported 15 local businesses taking part. The roster changes from year to year. The structure built around it has stayed the same.
The $20 you can't spend that weekend
The main draw is Pink Bucks. ZukaBaby's 2026 listing lays out the terms: spend $100 and get $20 in Pink Bucks toward your next purchase. Last year's terms were spelled out more tightly. Each shop issued its own Pink Bucks, and you could redeem them only at that shop, only in December.
That detail matters more than the discount. Twenty dollars back on a $100 purchase works out to 20 percent, but you don't get it at the register. It goes into your wallet as a reason to come back on another day. So a single November afternoon on Metairie Road comes with a second trip already built in.
The bingo card adds to the same loop. Each shopper gets a card listing the participating boutiques, and every purchase marks a square. ZukaBaby's listing says a completed card can be uploaded to enter a raffle for cash prizes. The card spreads your spending across several shops during those two days, and the Pink Bucks bring you back afterward, so the event runs the length of the road and past the weekend itself.
Where last year's card sent shoppers
ZukaBaby has announced its 2026 Pink Friday, with "2 DAYS OF DEALS," holiday treats and in-store activities. The 2025 participant list gives a good sense of the route. Here it is, sorted by street number:
| Address | Shop (2025 participant) | What it carries |
|---|---|---|
| 115 Metairie Road, Suite A | Armoire Boutique | Size-inclusive women's clothing in sizes 0–22, shoes, jewelry |
| 324 Metairie Road | JADE | Apparel, accessories, basics, décor |
| 517 Metairie Road, Suite 200 | NolaBoo | Women's apparel, dresses, seasonal goods |
| 600 Metairie Road, Suite B | Relish | Women's clothing, home goods, gifts |
| 605 Metairie Road, Suite B | Hemline | Women's dresses, tops, outerwear |
| 605 Metairie Road, Suite C | Nola Couture | Ties, apparel, glassware, pet gear |
| 701 Metairie Road | ZukaBaby | Gifts for babies and children |
| 701 Metairie Road, Suite 1B-106 | About Face | Cosmetics, skincare, beauty services |
| 2561 Metairie Road | PHINA | Gifts, home décor, entertaining goods |
Eight of those nine addresses fall in the stretch between 115 and 701 Metairie Road. Two buildings hold two shops each: Hemline and Nola Couture at 605, and ZukaBaby and About Face at 701. That leaves a very short walk to fill several bingo squares. PHINA is the outlier, at 2561 on the far western end.
One more 2025 participant has moved just off the road. BitLu Boutique, which sells women's clothing and gifts, describes 118 Metairie Heights Avenue as its new storefront.
December is already booked for the return trip
If you leave on November 21 with Pink Bucks in hand, December gives you plenty of reasons to come back. The dates fall close together:
- Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Old Metairie Christmas Market takes over the school yard, gym and hallways of St. Francis Xavier Catholic School at 444 Metairie Road. The 2024 market advertised more than 100 vendors, free admission and Santa photos.
- Sunday, December 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Longue Vue House & Gardens holds its free Merry Market with local vendors. It falls on Free Family Sunday, when garden admission is free for Louisiana locals.
- Wednesday, December 9, 5 to 7 p.m. Longue Vue's After Hours: Home for the Holidays with Queta & Company features Queta Cavalier, indoors in the Playhouse. Tickets are $45.
- Saturday, December 12, 1 to 2:30 p.m. The second of Longue Vue's wreath-making workshops, at $85.
The Christmas Market's address is what ties the season together. Number 444 sits between JADE at 324 and NolaBoo at 517, in the middle of the stretch that last year's bingo card covered. So the first Saturday of December puts the Christmas Market a few doors from the shops that handed out Pink Bucks last November. One parking spot can cover a market visit and a stop to spend your credit.
Two weekends, one plan
Longue Vue's calendar overlaps with both halves of the season. The first wreath-making workshop is Saturday, November 21, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. That is the second day of Pink Friday, and Longue Vue recommends it for ages 12 and up. You could start that Saturday on Metairie Road with a bingo card and spend the afternoon making a wreath for the front door.
Two weeks later, December 5 and 6 bring the same pairing back: the Christmas Market at St. Francis Xavier on Saturday and Longue Vue's Merry Market on Sunday. The Pink Bucks you earned on November 20 or 21 are worth taking along that first Saturday of December, since last year's participating shops sit on the same blocks as the market.
A few practical notes if you're planning ahead. Keep the Pink Bucks with your holiday list instead of in a receipt drawer, and ask at checkout where and when they can be spent. Last year each shop redeemed only its own credit, and only in December. Fill the bingo card early in the weekend so your entry gets uploaded before the raffle closes. And mark December 5 now. That Saturday turns a stack of November store credit into an easy reason to walk Metairie Road again before the holidays.
If you're mapping out a Metairie Road holiday season this year, or just want to talk about the blocks between 115 and 701 and what makes them work, Ashley Nesser would love to compare notes. I'm always glad to share what I'm seeing along the corridor from one season to the next. Let's Connect.
