New Orleans has a delicious weekend ahead: the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival celebrates 20 years in Lafayette Square Park from October 9 to 11, and admission is completely free.
Presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation — the nonprofit behind Jazz Fest — the festival honors the city’s historic role in shaping blues and R&B, two of the most influential sounds in the world. Two stages will host three days of performances by some of the finest names in Southern blues and roots music.
Friday evening opens with Johnny Sansone and Ruthie Foster on the St. Charles Avenue Stage. Saturday brings the Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Linda Gail Lewis, Cedric Burnside, Erica Falls & Vintage Soul, The Zac Schulze Gang, and headliner Samantha Fish. Sunday’s lineup includes Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, Little Freddie King, Mia Borders, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, and blues legend Booker T. Jones closing the weekend.
Beyond the music, expect mouthwatering barbecue, a colorful art market, and an oral history stage where festival-goers can hear stories from the musicians who keep the blues alive. As bluesman Taj Mahal puts it: “Blues is not just about the bad times; it’s about the healing spirit.”
The festival runs Friday 5:30–8:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. at Lafayette Square Park, 602 St. Charles Ave. Bring your appetite, your dancing shoes, and the whole family — the best things in New Orleans really are free.
Photo: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation
