Food & Drink Festivals New Orleans
Food & Drink Festivals New Orleans
New Orleans shares its passion
for food and drink with a series of festivals where anyone can sample, sip or
savor the city’s best-tasting offerings throughout the year. Po-boys, Creole
tomatoes, oysters, craft beers – whatever you’re hungering for, chances are the
city’s got a celebration wrapped around it. Whet your appetite and take a look
at our offerings:
Food & Drink Festivals Not
to Miss
New Orleans Wine
& Food Experience
Thousands of wine and food lovers gather each spring in New Orleans for one
of the city's most extravagant rites of passage, the New Orleans Wine and Food
Experience. The event spotlights the city's legendary restaurants along with
fine wines from around the globe.
More than 250 wineries are typically represented during the five-day
festival, with more than 800 vintages poured at a series of indoor and outdoor
ticketed events and dinners. More than 100 of the city's fine
restaurants take part.
Dozens of restaurants offer special vintner dinners nightly, hosted by
winery representatives. At these meals, select wines are carefully paired with
each course. Learn about the wine and food pairings directly from the vintners
and chefs that created them. A different winery is featured at
each restaurant.
The Royal Street Experience is a lively stroll through the French Quarter's
most elegant street. Music, food and wine make for a festive evening.
Participants can shop the enchanting galleries of Royal Street while
experiencing wine offerings at each stop and food tent along the way. Wine
glasses and wristbands are given out with each ticket to allow imbibers to try
up to 40 different featured wine offerings and amazing New Orleans food.
There are also grand tastings with dishes from more than 100 of New Orleans
world-renowned restaurants paired with wines from more than 250 producers. The
many seminars cover a wide range of topics, led by winemakers and other experts
in viniculture and the wine industry.
Beignet Festival
Awards will be given out for Best Sweet, Best Savory, Crowd Favorite and Most Original
Oak Street Po-Boy Preservation Festival
What is known in some parts of the country as a "submarine
sandwich" and in other parts as a "hoagie," is called a
"po-boy" in New Orleans. And, like many other uniquely New Orleans
and Louisiana creations, there is a festival to celebrate it, as well as a
colorful story behind it.
The Oak Street Po-Boy Festival is held every year in mid-November along a
commercial strip of Oak Street in the city's Carrollton neighborhood. Not only
is the festival a culinary celebration of a famous sandwich, it also celebrates
the rebirth of a once-thriving shopping district with roots as deep as the
neighborhood itself. Carrollton was a separate city until it was annexed by New
Orleans in 1874, and Oak Street was its commercial hub.
The one-day-only event, with hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., features live
music, arts and handicrafts and – of course -- booths offering many different
types of po-boys. Fried shrimp, oysters and catfish, along with ham and cheese
and roast beef are the favorites but there are many other choices as well. You
can order them "dressed" with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mayo or
"naked" without the condiments. Either way they
are yummy!
During the festival, merchants along the Oak Street commercial corridor open
their doors for browsers and buyers alike, offering a wide variety of
merchandise ranging from vintage books and jewelry to works of art and unique
apparel. Coffee shops and cozy little dining establishments offer their
specialties, as do larger venues like Jacques-Imo's Restaurant and the
world-renowned Maple Leaf Bar with its live music and large dance floor.
Louisiana Seafood Festival
Music fills the air every Labor Day weekend at City Park while festival
attendees agonize over what seafood dish to savor as Louisiana’s incredible
seafood history is celebrated with the Louisiana Seafood Festival. It’s three
days of food, music, dancing and arts and crafts.
Louisiana vendors provide their take on every type of seafood cuisine –
oysters, crawfish, shrimp, and more – cooked every which way. There are oyster
po-boys, barbecue oysters, crawfish etouffee, shrimp remoulade, barbecue shrimp
wraps, blackened alligator tacos and other succulent choices. Restaurants
represented include Acme Oyster and Seafood House, Café Giovanni, Drago's
Seafood Restaurant, Galatoire's, Red Fish Grill and others. There is also a
beer garden and daiquiri stands, as well as non-alcoholic options available.
There is a Cooking Pavilion, featuring celebrity chef demonstrations that
have included Chef John Besh, Duke LoCicero of Café Giovanni, Michael Sichel of
Galatoire’s and others. Visitors can learn how to make the best seafood dishes
from the best chefs.
Throughout the festival grounds, Louisiana musicians keep festival-goers
dancing. Previous performers include Kermit Ruffins, Rebirth Brass Band, Jon
Cleary and Amanda Shaw.
There is also an Art Village with a variety of local art vendors selling
crafts, arts, jewelry, clothing and accessories and more.
Fried Chicken Festival
Crispy, extra crispy, double dipped, spicy, mild, extra spicy -- fried
chicken is served a lot of ways in a lot of wonderful places in New Orleans.
It’s a staple on many menus. So come sample some of the best at the National
Fried Chicken Festival presented by Raising Canes in September at Woldenberg
Park on the river.
The free, outdoor, two-day festival has food from more than 35 restaurants,
lots of music on two stages from bands that have included Sweet Crude and the
Brass-A-Holics, cooking demonstrations, family-friendly activities as well as a
fried chicken finger eating contest. And, naturally, the chefs compete in best
fried chicken and best fried chicken dish contests.
Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival
In a city well known for its music and its food, the Crescent City Blues
& BBQ Festival combines the best of two specific genres. The free festival
heats up the heart of New Orleans' Central Business District as the weather
starts to cool down in October with live music, exquisite barbecue delights and
more.
Two stages are set up in the square for the two-day weekend festival and
some of the most renowned blues artists in the nation have participated at past
events. There is also an oral history stage nearby where musicians tell their
stories and festival-goers have a chance to ask questions. Taj Mahal, Barbara
Lynn, Luther Kent, Don Vappie, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Anders
Osborne and Stanton Moore are just a few of the musicians who have performed
and spoken there in recent years.
The setting is Lafayette Square, between St. Charles Avenue and Camp Street.
All around the square are booths offering various types of crafts and along
with some of the best barbecue in the South with an emphasis on Louisiana.
There’s brisket and chipped beef, smoked sliders and ribs, lamb chops and pork
tenderloin and of course many varieties of sausages, all served on po-boys or
plated. Many restaurants plan recipes painstakingly throughout the year to be
sure to bring their best to the fest. There are also vegetarian and vegan
options, as well as seafood.
The festival is one of several music and food festivals presented by the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the same organization that produces
the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival every year.
Tales of the Cocktail
Legend has it that the first cocktail was mixed in New Orleans in the early
19th century by a pharmacist looking to cure an upset stomach. Certainly the
city has embraced the art of drink and to commemorate this tradition, Tales of
the Cocktail was conceived.
Taking place around town in July, this cork-popping celebration takes the
art of drinking and cocktailing most seriously, celebrating everything from
mixology to history to trends throughout five days of “cocktails, cuisine and
culture.” Tales of the Cocktail is generally a bar industry networking and
education event, catering to bartenders, bar owners, and other professionals..
There are a series of ticketed events that include lectures, seminars,
dinner pairings, cooking and shaking demos and more. A highlight is The Bar
Room Brawl, pitting six bartender contenders on a libation smack down that
always entertains. Seminar topics are an intriguing mash up of serious and
whimsical, ala Russian Drinking Culture and The Drunken Botanist..
Events include special prix fixe tasting menus at dozens of New Orleans
restaurants so patrons can sample the best cuisine the city has to offer. Also
popular is the Spirited Dinner Series – participating restaurants offer
cocktail and food-pairing dinners.
There are tours exploring the cocktail history of New Orleans throughout
the French Quarter, with stops at some of the most famous bars and restaurants
around the neighborhood. There are many specialty cocktail themed parties at
hotels and restaurants as well as bar specials and tasting rooms coinciding
with the festival along with some bar crawls.
A big part of the festival is the Spirited Awards that recognize the best
bars, bartenders, and cocktail experts from around the world. A carefully
selected panel of judges representing every region of the world and facet of
the business select the Spirited Awards recipients.
Treme Creole Gumbo Festival
The festival is staged in Congo Square in the corner of Louis Armstrong Park, as well as in other sections of the park on North Rampart Street between St. Peter and St. Philip streets, directly opposite the French Quarter.
The highlight of the festival, in addition to the gumbo and other uniquely New Orleans culinary delights, is the wonderful traditional New Orleans brass sounds performed by renowned artists, many of whom grew up in the historic Tremé neighborhood. Performers have included the Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band, Tremé Brass Band, the all female Pinettes brass band, the Hot 8 and many more.
You will discover some of the best gumbo cooking to be found anywhere in the world. Representing the cultural mix of New Orleans, gumbo is a type of soup that is a signature dish at many of the city's great restaurants, several of which always maintain a presence at the festival. Its base is a thick roux, a seasoned combination of flour and oil, that makes gumbo so hearty.
The ingredients of gumbo vary from one chef to another but generally there is seafood gumbo with some combination of shrimp, crab, crawfish, oysters and other types of fish, and sausage gumbo with okra, chicken, sausage (including spicy andouille) and onions. It is served with white rice and should be at least mildly spicy. The sign of a good gumbo is, when you bite into it, it should bite back!
Many other signature New Orleans dishes are available at the festival, including red beans and rice, fried chicken, various catfish plates and desserts including bread pudding.
French Market Creole Tomato Festival
Come June, Creole tomato dishes begin to appear on restaurant menus, at
farmers markets, and at roadside stands. To commemorate the crop’s arrival, the
French Market Creole Tomato Festival is held the second weekend of June in the
French Quarter.
The French Market Creole Tomato Festival honors Louisiana's produce, farmers
and our unique cuisine of which the Creole tomato is a star. The free festival
is beloved by locals and visitors alike for its quaint and quirky traditions,
such as life-sized tomatoes strolling the grounds handing out tomato shaped
fans, and the auctioning off of the first tomatoes of the season to local
chefs.
There are also tomato eating contests and a Bloody Mary Market with
variations on the popular cocktail. There is music on several stages throughout
the French Market, which sponsors the festival. Past performers have included
Jon Cleary, the Honey Island Swamp Band, Tab Benoit and more. There are cooking
demonstrations, cookbooks for sale and free recipes handed out.
Food booths offer Creole tomato favorites like fried green tomatoes, Creole
tomato with shrimp salad, stuffed shrimp with grilled Creole tomato over
jasmine rice, Creole tomato basil crepes, Creole tomato gelato, Creole tomato
crawfish pies, blooming onion on a bed of Creole tomato and more. Judges roam
the festival searching for the "best of the fest,” with vendors competing
for most creative, most traditional, tastiest and healthiest dishes.
Succulent tomatoes are essential in many of New Orleans’ popular dishes.
Chefs and diners love their versatility and unique flavor. Many French Quarter
restaurants offer special dinners in June starring our popular tomato.
Hogs
for the cause
Hogs for the Cause is all
about good BBQ, friendly competition and of course, the cause. The highly
anticipated festival will raise funds for families fighting pediatric brain
cancer. Through their annual fundraising efforts, Hogs for the Cause has been voted
Best Local Charity three years running. Their works support both local and
national children’s hospitals.
Hogs for the Cause BBQ
festival kicks off fall fest season in the Crescent City. This year’s festival
will welcome 85 BBQ masters competing in seven different and delicious
categories. Enjoy the fruits of their labor as they battle it out for the
titles of Whole Hog, Ribs, Pork Butt/Shoulder, Porkpourri, Sauce, Fan Favorite,
and Fundraising Champion.
Friday night is the coveted
Bacon Night and Saturday night is the main event. You won’t want to miss
either!
In addition to savory BBQ and
a more than worthwhile cause, Hogs for the Cause also includes live music
across three different stages at the UNO Lakefront.
Boudin, Bourbon & Beer
The festival is in the fall, at Champions Square next to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Tickets usually go on sale in August. You must be 21 or older to attend.
Pronounced boo-dan, this tasty delicacy originated in western Europe and was honed to perfection in southern Louisiana. In the versions that originated in Louisiana's Cajun Country, boudin is a sausage-like meat dish in which a pork rice dressing is stuffed into pork casings, along with pork meat and herbs. There are many ways it can be prepared and the chefs use all their creative energy to come up with some crowd-pleasing dishes.
Boudin can be mild or spicy, and is frequently stuffed with alligator, crawfish or shrimp meat. It is typically simmered or braised (cooked slowly in fat) to perfection, ready to be served and savored.
In addition to the many varieties of food and drink included with your ticket, there is a stage with music and a dancing area.
Another popular activity at the festival is the cigar tastings, offered by premium tobacco brands, including Nat Sherman of New York.
Grab a napkin and get to know these famous Louisiana dishes:
1. Beignets
What they
are: square-shaped pieces of fried
dough, topped with powdered sugar, typically served in orders of three. The
basic beignet is made with fewer ingredients than you can count on one
powder-covered hand, though you can also find these bad boys stuffed with savory
or sweet ingredients at restaurants and cafés across Louisiana.
Where to
find them: Café du Monde in New Orleans’
French Quarter is the unofficial world capital of beignets. New Orleans even
has a Beignet Festival (yes, it's powdered sugar heaven!), held in
December, that you won't want to miss.
2. Po’boy
What it is: a submarine-type sandwich made with French
bread. Order it “dressed” if you like your po’boy with mayonnaise, lettuce,
pickles and tomato.
Where to
find it: the Oak Street Po-Boy
Festival in New Orleans, held in November. Mother’s Restaurant also in New
Orleans, serves roast beef po’boys with a type of gravy known as debris
(pronounced day’-bree). Chris’ Po’boys in Lafayette is among the best
restaurants in Cajun Country to satisfy your po’boy cravings.
3. Muffuletta
What it is: a sandwich on round bread containing Italian
salami, Italian ham, minced garlic, olive salad and cheese. You’ll often find
them served in whole, half and quarter sizes. If you’re going to eat a whole
muffuletta, come hungry — these sandwiches typically measure almost a foot
around!
Where to
find it: Seek out Central Grocery in
New Orleans’ French Quarter, where the muffuletta was invented. Visitors to
north Louisiana shouldn’t miss the legendary “Muffy” sandwich at Fertitta’s
Delicatessen in Shreveport.
4. King Cake
What it is: a round, cinnamon-filled cake made with braided
dough, covered in icing and colored sugar and containing a little plastic baby.
The three colors symbolize justice (purple), faith (green) and power (gold).
You’ll see king cakes in bakeries and grocery stores throughout Louisiana
between the Twelfth Night and Mardi Gras.
Where to
find it: Manny Randazzo’s King Cakes in
Metairie is the king of Louisiana king cakes, though you can also find them at
stores from Shreveport to the Gulf Coast, and all points in between. Other
standouts include Atwood’s Bakery in Alexandria, Daily Harvest Bakery &
Deli in Monroe and Haydel’s Bakery in New Orleans.
5. Crawfish Étouffée
What it is: a Creole dish of rice smothered in a stew of
roux, crawfish, herbs and vegetables. The roux (called a “blonde roux” for its
lighter color than the kind typically used in gumbo) is a mixture of butter and
flour, mixed with celery, bell peppers and onion.
Where to
find it: In New Orleans, find crawfish
étouffée at Bon Ton Café and Jacques-Imo’s. Outside the Crescent City you’ll
find mouthwatering étouffée at The Chimes in Baton Rouge and at Boudreaux &
Thibodaux’s in Houma.
6. Gumbo
What is it? An irresistible combination of rice, roux
(butter or oil mixed with flour), seafood or meat, vegetables, spices and often
okra. There are about as many variations on gumbo as there are people cooking
it up, but in general, Creole-style gumbo incorporates tomatoes and more exotic
ingredients, while Cajun-style gumbo often includes locally harvested meats,
fish and spices. Fun fact: gumbo is the official dish of Louisiana.
Where to
find it: Gumbo is so ubiquitous,
you’re bound to find it wherever in Louisiana you’re traveling. Head to Rocky
and Carlo’s in Chalmette or Robin’s Restaurant in Henderson for some of the
best bowls in south Louisiana. Some of the best bowls in New Orleans can be
found at Restaurant Réevolution and the Gumbo Shop.
7. Boudin
What is it? Rice, pork and spices in a smoked sausage
casing. Boudin is served in links or in boudin balls, which are deep-fried
cousins of the iconic Cajun delicacy.
Where to
find it: Earl’s Cajun Market in
Lafayette serves up excellent boudin and plate lunches. Head to Scott,
Louisiana which is the Boudin Capital of the World. Boudin can also be
found on many menus throughout Louisiana.
8. Andouille
What is it? Pork butt, shank and fat, seasoned with salt,
garlic and cracked black pepper. True andouille is smoked over pecan wood and
sugar cane, giving the meat a sweet, dark flavor.
Where to
find it: LaPlace is the place to find
true Louisiana andouille. Jacob’s World Famous Andouille et Bailey’s Andouille sell
it by the pound. In October, head to LaPlace for the Andouille Festival, an
extravaganza that has been running for over 40 years.
9. Jambalaya
What is it? A Creole take on Spanish paella, containing
chicken, sausage, long-grain rice, and the combination of onions, bell peppers
and celery known as the “trinity.” Served traditionally out of a big black pot,
it’s one of the spicier signature dishes you’ll find in Louisiana.
Where to
find it: Start in Gonzales, a town
known as the world’s capital of jambalaya — the Jambalaya Festival is held
there every May. Dwyer’s Café and Randol’s, both in Lafayette, are other sure
bets for fresh jambalaya.
10. Pralines
What they
are: a sugary, buttery candy made
from butter, brown sugar and pecans, cooked in a kettle and dried on wax paper.
French nuns brought these Creole treats to New Orleans in the 1700s.
Where to
find them: Aunt Sally’s Pralines in New
Orleans’ French Market is among the most famous.
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