So many choice beautiful weather good music great location. If you didn't make it this year come by…read morenext year

Objectively, this is more or less your standard festival. There's a lot of food booths, a music…read morestage, merchandise stalks, and a large section of carnival rides and games for kids. It lasts for four days, with admission being free on the first day and then $5 in the remaining three days. It's pretty easy to get to, and parking isn't even that bad because there's a large Wal-Mart right next door. As far as attractions go, there were two standouts. First was the caricature drawing booth, a neat idea that I don't recall seeing at many festivals. Second was the crawfish bread. With Jazz Fest postponed, the chance to get crawfish bread was awesome. Not that I actually got any - that line was waaay too long - but still. Because the pandemic is still a thing, the festival this year has one unusual offering: vaccines. I saw at least two different tables set up to give COVID vaccines. They were set up kinda off the beaten path though, and didn't seem to have any takers. Still not a bad idea though.

Gretna fest took place on Saturday, April 18th with about 20 food trucks serving everything from…read moreice cream and snowballs to burgers and seafood. Two trucks that stood out were Crescent City Burgers and Eli's Kitchen. CCB'S Stuffed Shrimp burger was a flavorful hamburger patty with small shrimp mixed in. There was a delish Cajun spice to it which set it apart from other burgers. Eli's had the best birria ramen and tacos I've had at these events. It's an upgrade from regular tacos. Hope they both return next year!

Great food and great people You will have lines to wait in…read more, but the food is worth the wait. They also had entertainment. Please check it out.

Got to the festival at ten not all venders set up to serve food and what we got was just ok. The…read morespring rolls were 5.00 and were the same that were being sold at Hong Kong market for 3.50. The Pho was pretty tasteless and the body was not there. It was held under a pavilion which is nice and they had cooling fans. The ice coffee was wonderful. If the food had been fresh and hot I think it would have been better. I was hoping for fresh breads and pastries but did not see any we may have missed them. In another pavilion there is South American food. They also have a flea market with odds and ends. I agree that an hour is enough time.

This is a basic little local festival, now in a different location than previous years (now at…read moreSaint Agnes Le Thi Thanh Parish Church.) Typically held in late June each year (6/21 and 6/22 in 2014) The festival is small but welcoming. The food is delicious and moderately priced - lots of different Vietnamese goodies, not just pho, so you can have bahn mi, spring rolls, bun, etc. if you aren't in the mood for soup. They have entertainment on the stage throughout the day- just a single stage, though, so there might not be anything going on at the particular time you visit. There's lots of parking, including a paved lot at the church and a huge grassy field where you can park across the road. No entry fee to get into the festival- which is a big plus. There was a bouncy house but it wasn't in operation when we were there- no idea why. Not much else specifically for the kids. One big complaint I have- which is common to about half the festivals I go to in the city- is that there wasn't really any educational component. Even just having something like local Vietnamese kids making posters about Vietnam and about the local Vietnamese community or Vietnamese food that they could hang around the festival grounds would take this festival up another star in my review. Basically- this festival is worth stopping in for an hour or so to try some new food and see what's going on. If they want me to stay longer, they need to up their game.

Love the people live the parish and only wish I hadn't moved away. A must fair to enjoy the riches…read moreof this parish.

Located on the grounds of Ft Jackson, a retired military post near the mouth of the Mississippi,…read morethis fair is definitely something. Be careful where you park, you may get stuck in the mud. Be careful choosing a port-a-john, you may not have toilet paper. Lots of hand made arts and crafts. Two orange princesses. Every one was friendly.

This is a rural Louisiana celebration of all things citrus. The Orange Festival is a fun family…read moreevent (and in Louisiana family events always include beer/wine/booze) with handmade arts & crafts along with entertainment ranging from two stages of live music, carnival rides, a 5K Run/Walk, and a wide variety of contests from duck calling to orange peeling. The sizable population of Croatian oyster-men in Plaquemines Parish also provide this fest with some mighty good oysters! I also know the burning question in your mind and the answer is yes... they do have an Orange Queen and not just one but two as they also have a TEEN Orange Queen in addition to the regular Queen so TWO Queens for the price of one!

It was a very nice and enjoyable family fun day at this festival. The rides were fantastic, mainly…read morefor the children and there were lots of games to play for both children and adults also. Most rides required four tickets and tickets are $1 each. There were lots of children out gallivanting from ride to ride and those with the $25 unlimited ride wrist band was certainly living it up. The rain did muddy the lawn near the rides but it wasn't too bad. It was just so nice to see them having fun. There was definitely ample space for folks to roam about the festival without bumping elbows with one another and the music was pretty decent. Now for the star of the festival, the gumbo...or shall I shall fumbo (fumble). I'm not sure who calls this place "the world's best gumbo" but what they're selling for $8 is horrendous IMO. There was no flavor and it was way too watery. This bears no resemblance to traditional New Orleans style gumbo. I really hate to say this but they may want to reconsider a name change from "Gumbo Capital of the World" Festival to "Bridge City's Best-We-Can-Do Gumbo" Festival. You will need tickets to purchase food but the ticket line moves fast, which is a good thing. It was good to see lots of cops present but they really needed someone directing traffic. Other than the sacrilege gumbo, we really enjoyed ourselves and the hosts, staff and everyone working there were very friendly. They even gave out free pepper sauce upon leaving. TIP: Be sure to bring your own folding chairs!

This was without a doubt the lamest festival I have ever been to!…read more As much as Bridge City,LA boasts about being the gumbo capital of the world they really fail to live up to their own expectations. I had seen several signs advertising about this gumbo festival. So I was pretty stoked about checking it out. I guess I had a totally different picture in my mind of what it really was. In my mind I thought it was going to be set up like a cook off with multiple chefs showing off their culinary skills. I also pictured people selling arts and crafts. I even pictured a real Zydeco band up on stage. But alas that is not the way it was. Here's what really happened at the Gumbo Fest. All the food was at one booth and the gumbo was mediocre. Yes you heard me the gumbo did not live up to the empty promises that they made. Plus it was $7.50 a bowl. I know of several restaurants that I can buy it cheaper. There were no arts and crafts. There were only crappy knick knacks. This stuff included the kind of crap that you would buy off of a street vendor at a Mardi Gras Parade, or the useless things that are typically on sale at a truck stop. The band they had on stage was a mediocre cover band. Neither me nor most of the other people at this event paid much attention to this band (maybe because they weren't that great). The only thing that could even remotely be entertaining here were the carnival rides. But alas I am NOT a 9 year old child so carnival rides are out of the question. I don't know if they had anything else because I didn't stick around very long. I really think that the people of Bridge City should have put way more thought into this before they decided have this little shindig. But rest assured I will not be returning to this festival. In short this festival might be entertaining.......If your a 7 year old!!!!

This is my favorite spring time festival here in New Orleans. The weather isn't too hot yet, and…read morethe location is perfect. Don't let that fool you, bring a hat and sunscreen. I didn't go looking for a particular band although I enjoyed what I heard. I came for the food!!! I went on Saturday which is day 2 of the festival. We got there around 11:30, it wasn't too crowded but they were definitely in full swing. By 4:30 the crowd had tripled in size. Lines were moving quickly and the options were endless. We tried several things and everything was so fresh and on point. A few standouts were the oxtail melt, the gumbo dumplings, and the must try alligator cheesecake. My only suggestion would be to allow water bottles to be brought in or, at least empty ones and have a fill station. Next, more seating in the sponsor lounge. The venue was large, and had plenty of space for more seating areas. Also the food in the lounge was lacking in variety, although I enjoyed the salad offering. The bartenders up there were great, and I loved the terrace overlooking the festival.

A time was had. The weather was nice. The food and live band was awesome. We enjoyed ourselves…read more There were no fights, just good food, music, and positive vibes and energy.

I love Gretna Fest. Great value, atmosphere, sound, parking and so much more. I've been going for…read moreabout 20 years, taking my kids then they were little and now looking forward to it with my sweetie. The Lineup is eclectic and there's always something to enjoy. It's frustrating every year because because the Lineup should come out sooner, in my opinion, but maybe that's because I'm excited to see it.

OK. So I am lame. I have been invited to house parties near the festival area for years, but I've…read morenever gone. This year with the Sunday closers being Pat Benatar followed by the B-52s. Yep I'm there. Small pet peeve. There is no way to buy advance tickets locally without all the ticketmaster fees so my $20 advance ticket instantly became a $31 & change one. Wait to pay the $25 in cash a the door and risk a line... Lots of food options and drink options. I enjoyed my frozen sangria and I should have made it back to whatever bar/restaurant was offering spooky batched cocktails. My favorite moment outside of the headliners was the Chee Weez singing Don't Stop Believing... and changing the lyric from "born in South Detroit" to "born in Westwego" which doesn't really scan but was funny. The shuttle from Oakwood was super easy and the staff was really nice!

Family friendly festival for anyone of all ages. I love how this festival takes place in the small…read moreLafayette Square Park yet they're able to fit so much in there. Two stages, a large art and a large food section. I also love that they have a bike valet, completely for free so you don't have to risk parking your bike in the streets where it can get stolen or vandalized. Entering the festival, there's tons of grass area to sit and enjoy the music. Everyone is pretty respectful and not rowdy. There's a huge food section which has about 6-10 vendors. The food is very reasonably priced and not jacked up for the festival. Most vendors also take credit card which is great. Entry to the festival is also completely free! They do take donations though! Overall, very fun family oriented festival. Not too crowded and easy to get to. Parking would definitely be a problem so get there early!

Every year I volunteer with the NOFF on the weekend so I can finish my shifts and head over here…read morefor music and BBQ. Eventhough it started pouring down today and with muddy ground, we still had so much fun. The food was plentyful and so tasty. The best way to try all the food is to bring a bunch of your friends and share foods to know which line to stand. Because of the rain, this year it was only myself and another friend end up going to the festivals. We both also end up getting free swags from Southern Comforts. A win win for us.

What a difference a change in venue makes! I've attended the seafood festival for a few years and…read moreit used to be a street festival near the casino. Moving it to Lafayette Square seems to have quadrupled the attendance. We went late on Saturday and the lines for some items were ridiculously long, especially since we had the little nieces with us. We got a few items from booths with shorter lines and everything was tasty. The crowds were well behaved and security was keeping paths clear. There seemed to be fewer vendors than last year, but maybe not as many applied.

Hellooooo N'awlins! you sure know how to bring the spirit out in me, and what better way than by…read morespending an afternoon jamming to Kermit Ruffins and the Rebirth Brass band while enjoying food from some of New Orleans best, including but not limiting the list to Galatoire's, Remoulade, Acme, etc etc etc... After walking around all the tents and considering our options we opted for 4 dishes; -Cafe Giovanni's Voodoo Shrimp and Grits and their Creole Shrimp and Corn bisque. My favorite out of these two were the Shrimp and Grits, which had been bbqed and glazed with a sweet and sour sauce...sooo good. The bisque was pretty stellar too, but a little too chunky for my taste. -Ninja's Softshell Crab Po-boy made an impression on us when we saw a lady walking around with just the crab. We quickly inquired about the dish and she told us it was supposed to be a po-boy but she asked for it solo....say no more! that amazing thing comes in a po-boy??!! we ran to the tent and devoured a very generous portion.... sooo good! - and for the grand finale I must tell you about Grand Isles' Seafood Salad, whomever came up with this amazing dish needs to be praised. The Shrimp had been bbqed in what seemed like a special coconut sauce giving it an oriental twist, the mussels were steamed to perfection and the crab was sauteed in a bed of yellow squash, caramelized red onions, and many other fall harvest vegetables. HHMM HMMM HMM! As if all that weren't enough, the liquor was flowing from different spots and the beer offered was $3 Coors and $4 Blue Moons! yes to the later..... I had a fantastic time at the 4th Annual New Orleans Seafood Festival!