French Quarter Festival

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Overview

French Quarter Festival is a free, annual music festival located in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1983 with the first festival held in 1984, French Quarter Festival features over 1,000 musicians across 20+ stages in the French Quarter. The impressive array of music showcases a variety of popular New Orleans' genres including traditional and contemporary jazz, Cajun-Zydeco, world, brass band, blues, rock, and pop from some of New Orleans' most well-known musicians. French Quarter Festival offers cuisine from more than 65 of New Orleans' finest restaurants at the 'World's Largest Jazz Brunch'. With an annual attendance of over 560,000,[1] the festival bills itself as "The Largest Free Festival In the South."[2] The next French Quarter Festival will take place April 10-13, 2014.


French Quarter Festival is produced by French Quarter Festivals, Inc., the nonprofit organization, which also produces Satchmo SummerFest in August and Christmas New Orleans Style in December. French Quarter Festivals, Inc. promotes the Vieux Carré and the City of New Orleans through high quality special events and activities that showcase the culture and heritage of this unique city, contribute to the economic well being of the community, and instill increased pride in the people of New Orleans.

Lost Bayou Ramblers FQF
Deacon John FQF 2012 1

Musicians

The performance lineup is announced in the month of February, and a more complete schedule is released in March. The Festival showcases New Orleans and Louisiana musicians, with genres including traditional and contemporary jazz to rhythm and blues, funk, brass band, folk, gospel, rock, reggae, Latin, and classical. The 2013 lineup included Soul Rebels, George Porter, Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, NOLA Nightingale Revue, Bonerama, Chris Owens, Delfeayo Marsalis & The Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and more.

The World's Largest Jazz Brunch

French Quarter Festival annually features authentic local cuisine from the area’s finest restaurants, including favorites such as crawfish and goat cheese crepes, cochon de lait po-boys, crawfish bisque, Oysters Bonne Femme, hot boiled crawfish, snoballs, and more. Neighborhood restaurants - including Antoine’s, Desire Oyster Bar, Galatoire’s, G W Fins, Muriel’s, Court of Two Sisters, The Bombay Club, Bennachin, Praline Connection, and Tujague’s – are among the participants; many of whom participated in the first-ever French Quarter Festival in 1984. The ‘World’s Largest Jazz Brunch’ is served daily during the Festival at Jackson Square, Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint, and Woldenberg Riverfront Park.

Special Events

Festival goers attend a variety of free, special events throughout the weekend, including the Chevron Evening Concert Series; Timecode: NOLA's film festival and The University of New Orleans' Midlo Center's lecture series, ‘Let them Talk: Conversations on Louisiana Music’ that focuses on the creativity New Orleans has fostered in either music or film; free dance lessons in several styles such as Traditional Jazz, Swing, Cajun, and Zydeco; children’s areas with music and activities; Pirate’s Alley Juried Art Show with over 100 artists; Rouses World Championship Crawfish Eating Contest; Battle of the Bands; and ‘Dancing at Dusk,’ which fills Royal Street and beyond with dancers.

Location

French Quarter Festival takes place throughout the historic French Quarter neighborhood. Over 1,000 musicians perform on 20+ stages located at Jackson Square, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Bourbon Street, Royal Street, Bienville Street, the French Market, St. Mary’s at the Ursuline Convent, and Louisiana State Museum's Old U.S. Mint.

FQF13 Fri Opening Secondline Paulin Bros Band 1

Sponsors and Volunteers

The Festival relies on strong community support to present the ‘kickoff to festival season in New Orleans’ - with over 2,000 volunteers and numerous generous sponsors including: Chevron (Title Sponsor), Capital One Bank, Abita Brewing Company, Ford Motor Company, WWL-TV, Rouses Market, Harrah’s Foundation, Pepsi, Tropical Isle, French Market Corporation, Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation, Popeye’s Musician’s Performance Fund, House of Blues, Louisiana State Museum, PJ’s Coffee and Tea of New Orleans, Louisiana Lottery, BMI, Hotel Monteleone, United Airlines, Pat O’Brien’s, Dickie Brennan & Company, Windsor Court Hotel, Court of Two Sisters, Tulane Medical Center, Tulane Hospital for Children at Tulane Medical Center, Hermann Grima House, Applitite, New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park, Rolland Lock and Safe, Pelican Ice, SDT, OffBeat Magazine, New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, NOLA Jitterbugs, NOTV, NOLA Baby & Family Magazine, Preservation Hall, The Historic New Orleans Collection, St. Louis Cathedral, The Royal Sonesta, Louisiana Cookin’, Inthenola.com, Where Magazine, Curve Magazine, New Orleans Magazine, Louisiana Life Magazine, Acadian Profile, MyNewOrleans.com, St. Charles Avenue Magazine, New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles, 96.1 The River, 101.5 WYNK, 102.5 WFMF, and 1150AM WJOB.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to French Quarter Festival.
  1. ↑ http://www.nola.com/fqfest/index.ssf/2011/04/french_quarter_fest_attendance.html accessdate=12/17/11
  2. ↑ http://www.abc26.com/news/newswithatwist/newswithaview/wgno-ready-for-new-orleans-biggest-festival-20110404,0,2252586.column
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