French Quarter Festival

This is the Festival season in New Orleans. Spring, before the weather is too hot, and fall when it is cooling are when most of the outdoor festivals take place. The French Quarter Festival opens today and continues through Sunday. There are more than 150 acts from across the spectrum of indigenous south Louisiana music, some of the best food anywhere and the usual New Orleans oddities all right in the middle and around the historic French Quarter of the city.

My reading about it tell me there will be 18 stages set up for the music alone. Several hundred thousand attendees, a mix of locals and national acts which lead to the claim of the title of “largest free festival in the South.” Yep! You only pay for the food you buy. All the music is free and there is no "entrance fee" since the festival is spread out over several miles in streets and parks, along the river etc. Location, location, location make this a better event for me than the more famous international Jazz Festival that starts in two weeks.

The names of some of the music acts will give you an idea of the choice offered to the listener. How about these as a sampling of what will be there....Big Sam's Funky Nation - Soul Rebels - 101 Runners - Honey Island Swamp Band - Connie Jones & the FQF All-stars - ZydePunks - The Revivalists - Ensemble Fatien - Russell Batiste & Friends Featuring Jason Neville - Audacity Brass band - Billy Iuso & the Restless Natives - Dukes Of Dixieland - Lionel Ferbos and the Louisiana Shakers - Lost Bayou Ramblers - Cullen Landry & Midnight Streetcar - Derrick Freeman & Smokers World - Bone Tone - Original Hurricane Brass Band - J' Monque D Blues Band with Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians -TBC Brass Band - The Victory Bells - Ernie Vincent & the Top Notes - J. J. Caillier and the Zydeco Knockouts - Steve Pistorius and his Southern Syncopators - Tornado Brass Band - Liberty Hall Stompers - Dan Venhettes & The Hot Shots, etc....

Some of these bands have sounds unique to the music industry, so tourists and even some locals often happen to stumble upon one or more and become a fan of it.And the food.....my favorite part if any New Orleans festival...it starts early each day before brunch and has been called the World's Greatest Jazz Brunch There are over 105 food and beverage booths from some of the city's best cooks serving everything the locals find dear including old time favorites like Jambalaya, Crawfish Bread, Gumbo, Red Beans and Rice, Muffalettas, Crawfish Bisque, Hot Sausage Po-boys, Cajun Meat Pies, alligator sausage and stew, Crawfish and Goat Cheese Crepes, Fish Tacos, White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding, and Praline Crème Brulee....

I like to go from one booth to another and sample some of the better looking/smelling offerings. Now if I can just find time to make it to it one day this weekend...