This is a perfect family parade to go to because everyone is friendly and the crowds are not…read moreoverwhelming. Plus parking is easy breezy as you can park pretty much anywhere within a block or two of the parade route (you won't ever have to park blocks away like at other parades). This year the crowd seemed bigger than in past years. The weather was great so that was probably a big factor. All of us caught plenty of beads but more importantly we caught lots of vegetables! How can you not catch a ton of veggies when you have over 80 floats (most of them double deckers) throwing stuff to you. Family, convenience, booze, and veggies! I love the Irish-Italian parade in Metry!

This parade is a combination for the Irish St Patrick's Day and the Italian St Joseph's Day…read more Looks like people stake our their position way ahead of the start of this parade, as everyone seemed well entrenched when I showed up. Finding a parking spot for this parade was way easy. Most of the perverts..... Um.... I mean guys.... Walking and handing out flowers seemed like they had been drinking for quite some time when they got to where I was standing. One of the guys even walked behind where I was standing, opened the door to a port-a-john and puked in front of the John. Disgusting. I left soon after that. There were families with small children there watching. I am hoping they start out more sober, but who knows. The throws are cabbages, carrots, ramen noodles, beads and fake flowers. The floats were nice. I was only able to catch two strands of beads, but the kids around me seemed happy. Even without catching anything, I would have given the parade more stars had I not witnessed one of the participants in the parade puking in a parking lot. I haven't even seen that first hand in any of the Mardi Gras parades I have been to. Amazingly not cool. The only gender neutral restrooms are the port-a-johns set out by the city. But look before you walk in and pop a squat.

This is an annual event put on by Audubon Zoo, with a bunch of sponsors, the weekend before the…read morehuge Zoo to Do. I have only been to the Kids version of it, but it's a blast... especially with a 2 year old. The zoo doesn't have all of the usual exhibits open, since it's after hours, but instead it is transformed into a giant playland with delicious food. Bouncy castles, bubbles, face painting, bracelet/necklace making, video games, etc., all included in the price of admission ($20 each for members, a little more for non-members). Food? There were a couple of national chains, but mostly local vendors set up with food. Lots of pizza, pasta, gelato, cupcakes, meatballs, and more - again, all included with admission. Kid friendly and delicious! The 3 hour event also features live music, although we were walking around looking at everything and couldn't really sit and enjoy the music. It was a nice, welcoming atmosphere and I highly recommend it for an evening out. The price is great, especially considering you're getting enough food to make a huge meal (and dessert) plus entertaining the kids for an evening.

Took my 2 year old grandbaby and it was worth every penny of the admission. Lots of food and drink…read moreavailable so there was no long lines. Lots of activities so there was plenty to do. We will be returning every year for this!

MAKIN' GROCERIES! This is my family's all time favorite…read moreparade! Rain or shine, we never miss it! Sure, you will catch traditional parades stuffs but, we come for the food!! This year they threw over 400,000 POUNDS of produce! We caught cabbages, potatoes, carrots, onions, lemons, limes, oranges, bananas, and a pineapple!! We bring our catches home, sort and wash it and then make a parade stew. This is one of our traditions now and we love having friends join us.

Hey college students, want to live dangerously? Go to this parade in your college gear and hold a…read moresign that says "Hungry college student." That's what I did once, and I had to put the sign away less than half of the way through parade! I gave away cabbage to my family, cabbage to my friends, cabbage to my neighbors, and even brought cabbage to work. I was the Oprah of cabbage! And don't get me started on how many bags of ramen noodles I caught. Seriously, this parade is fun, I think more so than most Mardi Gras parades. People set up campers, ladders, canopies, and barbeque grills all along the parade route. There's no barricades, so you can walk up to the floats to get your cabbage rather than have riders throwing produce at your head. Even if you don't make a sign, you're liable to end up with more food than you'll know what to do with, and some of the other throws are just funny. Over the years of going to this parade, I've caught Jello, soap, a spaghetti spoon, and a mop.

Cute family parade in the Metairie. Please be advised that especially in Metairie, you should not…read morebe exposing yourself unless you want to spend time in jail and become a registered sex offender. They do not play around with it. Lots of marching bands, dance groups and lovely floats. I caught it in the middle of the route near Lakeside mall and they still had plenty of throws, and not just plain beads. There are a lot of families, so pass those straight to the kids. Be kind to others.

I had the pleasure of experiencing this Krewes first year. It was held in Metairie, which gives it…read moremore of a family crowd type of feel. The ladies were so happy and giving some signature throws such as hats (which is a plus if you were able to get one with glitter on it), umbrellas, among other items. There were several bands, but a bigger population of dance groups which gives the family vibe. Definitely no issue seeing the parade, you can find a spot in the front pretty easy, but be careful because little kids of course will be running rampant. Parking is a lot better than your typical parades, because you can park in two mall areas, plus streets because of the smaller population attending. This is actually in my opinion a good date parade. You can enjoy dinner at a local chain restaurant and literally see when the parade is coming and walk right on out and get your beads on. Congratulations to these pretty ladies on their debut.

Please note: Do not expose yourself at this parade. There are families with small children around…read more Police are nearby and you will be arrested and charged. You will not earn any beads and you will possibly be a felon. This is the first Metairie parade of the Mardi Gras season. I parked on the 2nd floor of the Lakeside Mall garage on the Veterans side of the mall. The first floor was already full. I came by myself, and figured this was the best spot as people could spread out a bit more. I walked around in the mall a bit until the parade got to the mall. The parades are on the parade tracker you can download from the local news station, which is convenient, you don't have to stand outside waiting, not knowing where the parade is at. The vehicle that tracks the parade is usually the 2nd or 3rd vehicle in the parade. This parade was decent having marching bands, dance troupes, the Kiwanis in their little cars, floats. The throws seemed plentiful. I wasn't close enough to catch anything as I knew they had no special throws. There were supposedly 24 floats in this parade. It was a decent enough time, and geared more to the family than adults. Great parade to bring your kids and older parents to.

We had an amazing time at this parade. Parking was an ideal situation. The mall hadn't yet opened…read moreso the garage was basically empty with the exception of fellow paraders. We park and set up our chairs right on the grassy area in front of the garage. It was cool to have a less crowded parade where my kid could do his own thing as far as retrieving throws goes. The only negative I can think of was trying to leave after the parade. Not sure if you guys are familiar with the grid locked Streets of Metairie but good grief. You really learn how closed in you are when you are trying to find another exit route when they block off the main two. The way they rerouted traffic was super slow and took us forever to get out. Not that the roads can be changed obviously but it would've been nice of them to have more than one one way out for each side of the street.

This is really a great value because it's free (donations accepted) and appropriate for all ages…read more The food can add up, but honestly, the prices I saw were less than I've seen at events elsewhere. Reading the event website and other reviews, it appears organizers have increased the number of food vendors and booths selling art, tee-shirts, crafts, CDs, etc. And early is definitely better. I got there around 11:30 on Saturday and the lines weren't bad. Around 12:30 the lines to get and remained really long. However, neither Voodoo (or Whoodoo - I've seen it as both) nor Palmer's Cuisine had any food ready on time. It was closer to noon when they started serving. I had the small ($3) chicken and sausage gumbo from Palmer's and a half-rack of ribs from Voodoo ($10). The gumbo was a bit watery and there were lots of chicken bones. The ribs were nice and smoky, but were covered in Whoodoo's spicy BBQ sauce. Little too much sauce for me, but that was easily remedied. I expected a lot from Tee-Eva's original praline and pecan pie. Both were fine but not the special stuff I heard they were. There's an ATM right inside the main gate, and many booths had signs saying they took cards. Cash only for food and drink, which includes alcohol. One reviewer suggested bringing your own beer, but organizers ask for no outside food or drink. Porta-potties are down past the last food booth. Even though the line moved fast, they still could have used several more units. There were two accessible units, but one was inexplicably locked and the other had little toilet paper available. If you live in New Orleans or are driving to this event, bring your own chairs or be prepared to sit on the ground, steps, etc., or fight for the few benches there are. Note to organizers: please, please, next year put out rows of folding chairs in front of the bandstand. You can leave room for people to stand. I saw so many people who had disabilities (locals and tourists, myself included) who really needed chairs to sit on. If they have places to sit, they'll stay longer, and spend more money. Wanted to visit the Backstreet Cultural Museum afterwards, which is only a few blocks away. Even though they were supposed to be open, I knew I should call first. I did and was told they were closed. Oh, well. Next time.

Lots of vendors and prices were reasonable. We happened to fly in today and I found out about the…read moreevent from a nearby Starbucks! We got there at 6:40pm and it closed at 7:30pm. We definitely needed more time then that to sample all the tasty morsels. We got a gumbo that was delicious, crawfish nachos (not recommended) and a praline stuffed beignet from Lorettas praline. I had also wanted to try the peach cobbler with ice cream and a jambalaya, but the festival was over. The live music was nice and this was a free event to attend at the Louis Armstrong Park. I'd stay all day next time and do a gumbo crawl.

A nice Free event to vetvout the house during bayou classic time. The rivals Southern University in…read moreBaton Rouge and Grambling State University game normally is on a Saturday and before that there's a parade and following that the fan fest. There are a lot of giveaway opportunities as well as some food trucks for people looking to munch while enjoying some performances. FREe and cool to Go to. Parking is always crazye when coming down here. There's alcoholic beverages. There's food and fun as we yell brambling or SU!!

As an avid concert-goer who has attended many outdoor concerts and festivals over the years, I…read morewanted to share an honest and balanced review of this year's experience. The artists themselves were very good overall. The Eagles delivered the classic songs fans came to hear, and standouts for me were and , who really managed to shine through. Crowd engagement during songs like" Hotel California"and Take it Easy" was fantastic, and the energy from the sold-out crowd was undeniable. That said, the overall venue experience left a lot of room for improvement. The performances often felt rushed, and sound quality throughout much of the festival seemed muffled or poorly balanced at times. For first-time attendees seeing some of these artists, I honestly think the sound issues may have affected their impression of otherwise talented performers. The venue itself was extremely crowded, with very long lines and very high prices throughout the event. Most importantly, I would not recommend this festival for individuals with disabilities or mobility concerns. Accessibility and crowd flow appeared to be significant challenges and made the experience much more difficult than it needed to be. This is not meant as a rant, but as constructive feedback from someone who truly enjoys live music and has attended many well-run outdoor events. With better organization, sound management, and improved accessibility planning, this festival could provide a much better overall attendee experience.

We traveled all the way from California to attend the Jazz Fest 26' and purchased the Grand…read moreMarshall pass, that allowed us to use separate private restrooms, separate bar areas as well as private seating in grass areas and under a cooled tent. The best part of the Grand Marshall pass is the viewing area, that happens to be upfront at the stage. There are lots of local restaurants as well as local artists selling their products. We recorded over 7 miles on our iPhone walking around the fairgrounds so be prepared if you want to see all the fest has to offer and the different stages at different times. Traffic around fairgrounds is terrible so if you uber it is best to walk a few blocks up and get it or else you will be waiting forever.