The French Quarter Festival is the intro to New Orleans’ jam packed spring season, and of course we were there! In its 30th year, it’s the largest free music festival in the southeast. We hit the event rather late on its Saturday afternoon. With rain the day before and more predicted, a whopping 303,000 people were enjoying the beautiful day. Our strategy was to avoid the crowds by patronizing the smaller bands, and we discovered some gems.
We love our festivals for the quirkiness, especially the people watching. But music is the heart of the event, so here’s some samples. Sorry I can’t give much attribution to the “unofficial” groups who play for the love of music and the occasional tip.
Here’s Doreen’s, a Dixieland band with soul. The trombone player was a character!
And a group playing Cajun music. My husband requested “Le Grand Texas” (tex-ahss), an old tune that morphed into “Jambalaya on the Bayou” by Hank Williams.
Here’s some other photos of the festival. Enjoy!
Click for captions and to enlarge.
Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer
The Cajun Band was great. I had not heard the song Le Grand Texas in years. Ed
I’ve always heard tales of the French Quarter but have never been there. It looks like a wonderful time to be there. Your pictures tell some great stories.