By Sheri McKee and Su-Jit Lin

    French Quarter Fest is back again, celebrating 26 years as the largest free music festival in the South.  Each year, this special free festival showcases our local music, food, and culture, bringing locals and tourists back to the French Quarter. This year’s festival will feature 18 stages of free music throughout the historic French Quarter, with every genre of local music represented, including traditional and contemporary jazz, R&B, Zydeco, brass bands, folk, opera, gospel, and a little something some of us like to call New Orleans rockin’ brass-infused funk. To better accommodate the growing audience and improve the festival’s flow in 2009, some stages and areas have been reconfigured.  This year there will also be a new stage with a Frenchmen Street feel called “Esplanade in the Shade,” featuring an exciting and eclectic mix of artists including Big Blue Marble, Ingrid Lucia, and Astral Project.
    The 2009 FQF features many special events including the opening parade, the World Championship Oyster Eating Contest, Battle of the Bands, Dancing at Dusk, historic courtyard tours, the International Music Colloquium, family-fun activities at Children’s Headquarters, the World’s Largest Jazz Brunch, and free admission all weekend long at Preservation Hall. New programs for 2009 includes the “Louis-Louis Pavilion Stage” on the riverfront, paying tribute to Louis Armstrong and Louis Prima with special performances and a tent where festival-goers can learn more about New Orleans’ famous native sons.
    On Friday, the Opening Parade & Second Line will kick things off at 9AM at 100 Bourbon Street, with open tours at the Hermann-Grima House and Gallier House museums. On Saturday, festival-goers will get to see Battle of the Bands, stroll through the Pirates Alley Art Show, and view Music at Madewood’s production of the one-act opera, Cabildo, in the courtyard of the Cabildo with free admission in the evening. This year, the World Championship Oyster Eating (and shucking) Contest moves to the Old U.S. Mint on Saturday afternoon, making it the new home for this official International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) event. Sunday morning gospel music also returns to the riverfront with the stages opening to the sounds of local gospel choirs, and a festival favorite, Dancing at Dusk returns again. 
     This family friendly festival will also delight parents as the Children’s Headquarters can easily be found at the Audubon Aquarium Plaza on the riverfront, anchored by the Kids’ Stage at the ferry landing.  The 2009 FQF Children’s Headquarters will focus on educating families about “healthy kids” programs in a fun and interactive way, including Whole Foods’ healthy kids cooking demonstrations with audience participation; Tulane Hospital for Children hosting hula hoop and jump rope competitions, as well as crafts and face painting, drumming circles; and the Milk Mustache Mobile tour encouraging local residents to “Drink Well, Live Well,” by reintroducing milk as Nature’s Wellness Drink. New Orleans families will be able to attend free events within the festival’s Children’s Headquarters and partake in several activities including sampling milkshakes, smoothies, Brown’s Dairy and Borden Milk products, receive a health assessment from a registered dietitian, pose for their own milk mustache photo, and even receive a five-minute chair massage from a licensed massage therapist.
    Since listening to great music and walking around in this beautiful culinary city can often lead to developing a great big appetite, FQF has attendees covered with offerings of some of the finest culinary bites this side of the Mississippi. This year there are over 70 food and beverage booths located in Jackson Square, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, and the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint.  Expect to find Abita Beer, New Orleans Original Daiquiris, meat pies, crawfish egg rolls, crawfish ravioli, smoked alligator sausage, jambalaya, etouffee, po-boys, shrimp and grits, stuffed crab, gumbo, red beans and rice, bread pudding, pralines, crepes, Pat O’Brien’s Hurricanes, SoCo Frozen Drinks, stuffed artichokes, smoked turkey legs, strawberry shortcake, gelato, stuffed bell peppers, tacos, shrimp remoulade,  cochon de lait, crawfish pasta, Crawfish Bread, and BBQ … just to name a few.  FQF visitors can use cash to purchase items at any festival food booth, or credit cards to purchase food tickets in increments of one dollar at any official FQF Information Booth.   Participants in this year’s “World’s Largest Jazz Brunch” will be showcasing local cuisine from the area’s finest restaurants, some of which have been loyal vendors since the festival’s inception 25 years ago.
    As always, French Quarter Fest will host their annual kickoff party and fundraiser TGIF—Thank Goodness it’s Festival—Party on Thursday, April 16, at Pat O’Brien’s on 624 Bourbon Street. This year’s event will feature special musical guest Walter “Wolfman” Washington, great food, and those classic “Have Fun” Pat O’s libations.  Tickets are only $50 and the event is open to the public. For more information on French Quarter Festival, call 504-522-5730 or visit online at www.fqfi.org

French Quarter Fest Foods

    The FQF has plenty to tempt many a New Orleanian to brave the downtown parking and traffic situation, but the food up for grabs is well worth it. Among the tried and trues, we have returning favorites like The Gumbo Shop’s chicken and Andouille gumbo and red beans and rice; grilled chicken livers with sweet hot pepper jelly from The Praline Connection; tasty crabmeat ravioli from Ristorante Carmelo; Ted’s Frostop is bringing Cajun meat or crawfish pies … and that’s just to name a few. Of course, no festival is complete without some hearty sandwiches, and so we have cochon de lait, both hot and alligator sausage, Creole crawfish, fried and barbequed shrimp, beef debris as well as roast beef, and slow-roasted duck po-poys on the list for guest appearances. You can take that to mean Jacques-Imo’s, Alibi, EAT New Orleans, Red Fish Grill, The Original New Orleans Po-Boys, and Love at First Bite are coming to man their spaces.
    In addition to these highly anticipated reappearing restaurants, the FQF starts its second set of 25 years with a string of fantastic new vendors as well. For ethnic food, Bravo! Cucina Italiana enters the fray with crawfish ravioli, chicken griglia, and tiramisu; Byblos is presenting chicken kabobs, hummus, and spanakopita; and Vietnamese Saiyen Fresh Express has assorted spring and egg rolls, and lemon chicken and noodles. To cure your itch for regional dishes, Huevos has got Bad Bart’s Black Jambalaya, Creole hot sausage on a stick, and alligator Andouille; there’s stuffed crab, baked macaroni, and crab and shrimp salad from Jack Dempsey’s and pulled pork and smoked beef brisket from their Bywater neighbor The Joint. Henry’s Bakery has stuffed bell peppers, mac and cheese, and king cake; Sammy’s Food Service & Deli bring seafood stuffed jumbo shrimp and Italian sausage and eggplant pasta to the picnic table, and Emeril’s restaurants plan to put out plenty of barbequed ribs. And for dessert, newcomer Gelatto Pazzo Caffe will provide a great non-drinker’s alternative to cooling off.
    Standard FQF prices apply, which range from $3 to a rare $9 a selection, but average cost is just $5 an item, allowing you to sample a little something from some of the best restaurants in the city without breaking the bank … although I’m not sure that can be said of your stomach after this amazing festival draws its curtains.