I recommend this because it was fun but some of the Line for…read morethe ride was very. Long Done by Norah

This fair has it going on! A huge pig roast, carnival rides, game booths, music, and cheap food…read moremake this an awesome school fair. My friends and I always make sure to hit this up every year no matter what else is going on. This year they had four pigs roasting at once so you had all kinds of pork options to munch on. I was told they had a total of over 5000 lbs of pork that they were serving at the fair! Other food options I saw were pizza, crawfish pies, funnel cakes, gumbo, and jambalaya. They also had nachos for $4.00, burgers for $2.50, and hot dogs for $1.50. How can you not like those cheap prices? As usual The Topcats closed out the final day with another great performance! The Topcats have been closing out the fair for the past few years and they never disappoint. I love Rob!! He gets the crowd so involved. Lots of school fairs, to me, are either boring or lame. This one is neither. It is everything a fair should be. Family-oriented, kid-friendly, great music, and great food.

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.

I love this fest!! I only got to go Sunday (2017)…read more Saw a couple of awesome bands, and had some great food. Antoine's had an Oysters, baby scallops, and peas penne pasta in a white wine sauce topped with a two cheese mix and panko. Let me say, for $8, it was a generous portion ....but even more importantly, it was generous on flavor! I have been saving up to go to Antoines, but I'm going to have to go anyway (lol). I was completely satisfied. I also had a Fried Oyster Po boy from Acme Oyster House. I think it was ok, but the bun to oyster ratio was not in the oyster's favor. The Brass-O-Holics are an awesome group, and their unique twist on classic R&B and hip hop had the crowd dancing, and grooving. Excellent musicians, soloists, and very tight. I will look for them again. Although I didn't get to hear/see Bag O Donuts, I've seen them before and they are also, and excellent, entertaining group.

This was my first time going to oyster fest and I was only there for 30 minutes because of the…read moredreadful Summer heat! Other than the heat, the food was delicious! (Fave to least) Red Fish Grill Oyster BBQ Po-boy This was probably my top favorite out of all the vendors! I mean you get some mad flavor from the crystal bbq and the blue cheese dressing cool down some of the spice - perfect combo! Trennese Oyster Ceviche Oh this was great especially being in the heat. This came with 4 total and each topped with shrimp chunks, white fish, and bell peppers - very delicious and fresh. Mac n' Cheese with Boudin The shell pasta was perfectly cooked and the cheese was the perfect consistency. I can't recall oyster being in this dish but it was defiantly seafood mixed in. DTB Oyster and Grits Nice texture in the grits with pickled veggies on top! Corn meal oysters were a bit small, but the overall flavors were on point. Little Korea BBQ Ice Pops - (Mango, Vietnamese Coffee, Cherry & Chocolate Chips) My favorite had to be the mango! It had a nice and smooth texture, very refreshing. My only request is changing the date to a cooler season. I wasn't able to enjoy my time at the festival because I spent my time complaining about the heat. I'm apologizing for not having the prices because it was too hot and I was too lazy to take a photo of each vendor. I will do better next year!

Looking for a time to visit New Orleans, to soak in and experience the local life style? Want to…read moreenjoy New Orleans surrounded by locals of all economic levels in the areas with folks celebrating in their own streets? Hear the best brass bands in the city, join an all day parade, eat grilled pork chop on white bread sandwiches and dance all afternoon while buying Heinekens 2 for $5 from folks pulling their coolers along the whole parade route in order to keep the day socially lubricated? Of course you do, and you can. Add to that you are only also witnessing a neighborhood tradition going back 140 years, an organic local celebration that is unparalled anywhere in the United States and remains true to its roots and apparently sometimes even out of popular local culture? (22 reviews for the 3 year old Po Boy Festival, a fine but overcrowded commercial venture and zero for Super Sunday? My mind boggles). Super Sunday is one of the many reasons why people don't leave New Orleans, I know folks who have moved here after parading along this uptown route just once. Picture a few guys getting together every Sunday night for 6 months...sewing, gluing, gathering $5000 worth of brightly dyed ostrich feathers plumes and beads and putting together an outfit, 4 guys to make one costume and each and every one of those a piece of art. Mardi Gras Indian Tribes are local social clubs, some members going back generations, after months of sewing and beading it is time to go out and both celebrate your work and also go to war against other tribes about whose outfit is the prettiest. In essence they all are, but in actuality, it is about pride, creativity, and a level of artisanship you just don't see on public streets elsewhere. And next year, they start the costuming all over again from scratch, because their is no way you are not going to be prettier than the year before. It aint Mardi Gras, you're no longer surrounded by mansions, but it is safe, it is vibrant, and if you make a trip down (Super Sunday takes place on the closest Sunday to St Jospehs day) you will never forget it. Usually 30 tribes, 400 costumes from 3 year olds to 80 year olds Easiest way to get around for this is by bike, you can get to the starting and ending spot and if you want to witness the parade from multiple angles you can bike on ahead over and over, or just lock the bike up and dance following the bands like everyone else. Check out the Backstreet Cultural Museum or the House of Dance and Feathers set up by Ronald Lewis beforehand for some stories and understanding of what its all about...these local neighborhood historians are worth supporting.

Why celebrate St. Patrick when you can celebrate St. Joseph?! And who cares about a Metry parade,…read morewhen you can be at Super Sunday taking pictures of Mardi Gras Indians, enjoying music, and waiting in line for beer and BBQ at a plethora of down home food trucks and grills! Put on annually by the Mardi Gras Indian Council every third Sunday in March, Super Sunday is one of the most laid back, community-feel New Orleans cultural events. The various Mardi Gras Indian tribes begin by getting dressed on the playground at A.L. Davis Park, before parading up to Claiborne, ending back at the park to dance-battle (not in the Zoolander fashion) and perform. According to the website: "Nobody is completely certain when the tradition of Mardi Gras Indians "masking" on St. Joseph's night began. However, there have been reports of Indians on St. Joseph's night dating back to before World War I. The custom seems to have come about simply because it was a good opportunity. With all of the Catholic Italians celebrating this holiday in the streets, the Indians were able to blend in and celebrate as well. Before 1969, the Indians celebrated by coming out at night to meet and greet other "gangs". In 1969, the first parade was created and rolled through town at night. In 1970, it was switched to a day parade on Sunday afternoon, and has continued in that tradition to this day." The costumes are, as always, stunningly beautiful. Hand-made, beaded, feathered, glorious things, that put your hard work for Mardi Gras and Halloween to shame (sorry bout that). I especially love seeing grumpy children looking adorably plumaged, and the beaded shifts on the women. Food is cash only and often sold from the backs of pick-up trucks. I had a shrimp plate from the Taste of New Orleans truck which took a long time and was not even that satisfying (shrimp were small, fries were limp), but it did the trick and soaked up the beer. I also had some hot sausage and a bite of a burger from a trailer-BBQ. Juicy, hot, and saucy. Should've gone with that in the first place. We biked up which was the correct decision, as we watched cars circle endlessly looking for parking. I hadn't been in the Magnolia Project redevelopment; it looks exactly like the St. Bernard and St. Thomas ones. Clones!

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!

I love the Endymion fiberoptics and that they parade AWAY from my house. I was able to catch the…read moreparade across from Warren Easton HS this year and it was a great spot. Lots of alums were out to cheer on the band as it marched in the parade. Love seeing the local pride. The bands were great and, of course, the riders were super generous with their throws. This year was extra awesome, I brought my niece to see her Daddy ride AND I got to bring awesome PDX Yelpers Melvin & Merilou to their very 1st carnival parade. It was really fun to see the parade through their eyes and my niece had a ton of fun and the crowd was not too aggressive or pushy. Plus I love the esoteric themes, so Endymion goes to the opera was right up my alley. Definitely a great parade...to see away from Orleans Ave.

Endymion is the Alpha Male of the parade world. The floats are so extravagant and long it puts mere…read moremortal parades out to pasture. Endymion is the biggest parade of them all and as such the crowds do come out in droves. I love Endymion! It is easily my #1 or #2 favorite parade (the others being Orpheus and Zulu). It's so hard to pick a favorite. It would be nice to see Endymion with the sun still around. I always catch it at night on crazy as heck Canal St. in downtown area. If you only have a chance to go to one parade during Mardi Gras go to Endymion! Guaranteed fun!!

Festival season is finally here!!!…read more No longer free, but quite possibly the most entertainment you can buy for $10. Plenty of live music, food & drink to honor Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong in his hometown!

Do you like free festivals?…read more Do you like jazz and blues music? Do you like beer and po'boys? Do you like sweating profusely? If you answered "yes" to three or more of the above questions, Summerfest is for you. I attended the Saturday portion of the 2008 festival, and it was a good time, although not as awesome as the French Quarter festival. The upside is that Summerfest is scaled down, so there is no hiking from one stage to the next. All the stages are located at the Old US Mint. Crowds are also much more manageable. There were four stages, and only at one (the Brass Band stage) was it difficult to get a prime spot. The Traditional Jazz Stage, BTW, was the best in terms of shade. Which brings me to the real problem with Summerfest--it is so damn hot. That should not be too much of surprise (New Orleans in August) but the fact remains that it is difficult to enjoy some of the music when your only choice is to swelter without shade. Why do they not start this thing at 5pm? Well, you can cool yourself down with 4 dollar Abita beers. If you really want to do this right, you have to get there early, bring a folding chair, and set yourself up under one of the few trees.

I went to Mirliton Fest the year of its inception (2006) and was so pleased this year to see how…read moreit's grown. The crowds were great, the music tight, and the food booths were not the same old-same old. Plus each featured a mirliton dish! Yum. Wish their had been more crafts to see but I think they are making excellent use of their space.

Admittedly, I haven't been much of a mirliton eater since I was a kid. But on an absolute gorgeous…read moreday, my friend and I took our bikes out through the Quarter to the Bywater neighborhood for the 18th Annual Mirliton Festival at Markey Park. After paying admission and locking up the bikes, we bypassed the crafts area and did a once around of the food booths. I started with a Shrimp and Mirliton Stew with Cheddar Cheese Grits from Karma Kitchen. This dish was really tasty once properly seasoned with a little hot sauce. Next up was Pickled Mirliton Cole Slaw with Grilled Shrimp from Elizabeth's . Friggin' awesome! After a glass of wine from Bacchanal, I ended the afternoon with a Shrimp Stuffed Mirliton from Jack Dempsey's Restaurant. Good but not as good as the first two dishes. Elizabeth's was also serving up some other tasty looking dishes at their booth, so I might have to go check them out! The music was definitely local and happening. We met one of my dinner clubbers there and popped a squat and enjoyed the food, music, wine and weather... The crafts area had some interesting local items, including some brightly colored signs with local sayings and scenes, and some cool S&WB water main belt buckles that I will buy at the next Bywater Market. Turnout was pretty good and you can bet I'll be at next year's Mirliton Festival!