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 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!

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.

Fancy attire, joyful laughs, beads, and bows. It's a glorious day to attend a Parade, so off to…read moreSouthern Decadence we go! Dubbed the Gay Mardi Gras, Southern Decadence is an annual 5-day LGBTQ+ event held in New Orleans over Labor Day weekend. The festivities begin on Thursday and conclude on Monday with a grand Parade held on Sunday. It originally started as an end of summer party in 1972 by a group of 50 friends and was dubbed "Southern Decadence Party: Come as your favorite Southern Decadent. You'll find numerous parties throughout the French Quarter with people dressed in festive attire. I'm all about Decadence and this celebration is about letting loose and having fun because what happens in the Quarter stays in the Quarter. This was my second year attending this fabulous event. It's always a great time. The Parade is a highlight for me. I love the energy and enthusiasm from the performers and attendees. The flamboyant costumes are fantastic and the performances entertaining. This time was extra special because I got to share it with my darling friends Paula & Rob. It was a wonderful day filled with laughter, love, & memories that we'll cherish for years to come.

I live in New Orleans and always look forward to Southern Decadence! It's a weekend where everyone…read moreis so happy and just having fun. Be sure and hit up all the fun gay bars, and don't miss the parade. It's colorful and entertaining with a bit of naughty sprinkled in. Enjoy!!

Shoutout to my sweet friend, Yelper Angie, who hooked me up with tickets for Saturday!…read more This was the first time I attended the festival so I wasn't sure what to expect! Fortunately my bestie was there earlier and told me where they parked and I figured out where it was being held in City Park! The festival is open from 11am-9pm and I avoided the heat and came around 5:30pm ish when it was cooling off! Plus I missed the slight drizzle that occurred earlier so that was good! The entrance fee is $10 I believe which isn't bad for a festival but it appears to be free when it initially started. I think that the Red Fish Grill's BBQ oyster poboy was delicious! Meanwhile I tried Galatoire's shrimp remoulade. I have never been to Galatoire's and have it on my list of classic New Orleans restaurants to experience. Well, the shrimp remoulade was just ok. I kind of expected to be blown away since they are a New Orleans institution where I believe you have to dress up and they will lend gentlemen a sports coat if they aren't wearing one. There were craft booths, various types of alcohol booths where you could sample their beverages, etc. But my favorite part was the music! I caught The Village People ending their set with their classic YMCA. And I closed out the festival listening to "The Romantics!" And can I tell you I thoroughly enjoyed dancing to their music and listening to them rock out! It was a good crowd and I was able to see them from where I was standing. Plus they did an encore! I thoroughly enjoyed this festival! My only suggestion is to have more shopping booths for the shopper in me! Hehe Happy Seafood Festing!

This was the mother of all seafood festivals, a true seafood lovers dream! From char grilled…read moreoysters to soft shell crab po boys to alligator sausage jumbalaya to crawfish sushi rolls, the options were endless. We grabbed a spot under the trees to protect ourselves from the scorching sun and were lucky to get a seat on one of the two random patio chairs/couches later on. The live band provided some great entertainment. Nice way to spend a day with the family tasting all the unique southern seafood dishes.

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.

This is a fabulous Festival, offering endless booths of original Seafood dishes and continuous…read moreoriginal music from local bands. I deduct 1 star ONLY because it was dangerously hot out and there were not nearly enough tents for people to find shade. Only one-tenth head very tiny misters. THE DEAL: upgrade to the VIP passes and stay cool with air conditioning. Totally worth it!

From the owner: Food festival specializing in Louisiana's bountiful seafoodread more

We went to the "Houston Crawfish & Music Festival" at the "Houston Fair Grounds". 1. Houston had…read morenothing to do with this, it was vendor ripping people off. 2. It was at 4603 Orem Road, not the Houston Fair Grounds. 3. The charged $75 per person for "VIP" all you could eat. Yet all of us who paid VIP stood there and watched as they filled the orders of cash customers and ignored us. Basically they took the money of the prepaid bought the crawfish and sold it to the cash customers. All VIP started complaining as they were running outvof crawfish before we got any. 4. Crawfish was undercooked, potatoes were still raw in the middle. 5. Drinks were $12 to $16 for one. This was a huge rip off stay away from any event that has NOLA FEST GROUP LLC on it. Totally unorganized.

I went to this festival with high hopes. I haven't been to this fest since 2010 and remembered…read moreliking it back then. This yr I was rather disappointed in both the food and the lack of vendors. There were about 30 vendors out there (which I thought to be rather small). I could literally walk the whole area in 5 minutes that's how small it was. I really like Dunbar's food in general and tried their strawberry shortcake. It was a letdown as they used frozen strawberries and it was caked in whipped cream. The ribs from this BBQ place in Memphis was so-so. The guy who was sitting next to me with his ribs said, "These are the best ribs I have ever had." I, on the other hand, thought the ribs were average at best. This is a festival I will probably skip in future years unless I happen to be in the Quarter that weekend during the day. FYI: Prices were reasonable as most items were between $4-7 for decent-sized portions.

Such a cool event with live music and great food. Like a picnic dream in New Orleans. A local…read morehidden and magical event where you can really get the full NOLA experience

In the summer, during the break between the Fall v. Spring Wednesdays at the Square, you can ride…read morethe Algiers ferry over for Wednesdays on the Point. Take your dog - the ferry's dog friendly, as is the concert. The Algiers Economic Development Assoc. coordinates the weekly shows, which are sponsored by various local businesses. They're often at the ferry landing, but they can also be elsewhere within walking distance. They have great local musicians, and it's more laid back and less see-and-be-seen than the sister Wednesday concerts in the middle of the big-lawyer-buildings at Lafayette Square. (Wed. at the Square is still cool too - it's just gotten so big. And crowded. And professionals-talking-the-talk-and-networking. It's hard to find and meet up with your friends and just hang out any more.) Also, Algier's Point is just cute, and worth the boat trip to ride your bike around or take your dog for a walk.

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.