The annual NOLA Crawfish Festival (NCF) returns to the grounds of Central City BBQ for another three-day run on April 30-May 2, delivering mouthwatering crawfish, funky rockin' rhythms, and thirst quenching local brews. Tucked into the “daze” between Jazzfest weekends, the festival, now in its third year, adds even more excitement to its roster of fun. This year brings headliner Tab Benoit's Whiskey Bayou Records Revue to the stage. And, NCF presents its first-ever NOLA Crawfish Eating Championship on Tuesday, where up to 10 individuals will vie for the title of top crawfish consumer. For the third year in a row, NCF will host the Ultimate Crawfish Cookoff team competition, held on Wednesday.
Sure to be the tastiest – and funkiest – throwdown this Spring, the NOLA Crawfish Festival is the only one of its kind in New Orleans, with three days of MUSIC, BEER, and, of course, hot boiled CRAWFISH from NOLA Crawfish King. Visitors and locals alike will find common ground here as they groove together to some of New Orleans finest musicians, while twisting, pinching and devouring tons of mouthwatering crawfish and fixin's, and washing it all down with delicious local craft beers from breweries like Port Orleans.
“The combination of juicy crawfish, good music, and great beer is the key to a true New Orleans experience. I've taken this formula all around the country, and the reactions from people are the same: happy, satisfied festgoers”, says Chris Davis, festival founder and master boiler at NOLA Crawfish King. “The best thing about the fest, though, is the caliber of music. You never know who's going to sit in with the bands. And with this year's line up, I'm sure there will be plenty of surprise guests."
Nola Crawfish Festival will keep the Jazzfest vibe rollin' with rockin' sets from these stellar acts:
- Tab Benoit's Whiskey Bayou Records Revue, featuring Jeff McCarty & Eric Johanson
- Dr. Klaw: Ian Neville, Adam Deitch, Nigel Hall & Nick Daniels, featuring Cyril Neville
- Ivan Neville & Friends w/Very Special Guest George Porter Jr.
- Jon Cleary Band featuring Big D Perkins, Cornell Williams & AJ Hall
- NCF Southern Soul Revue: Luther Dickinson, John Medeski, Roosevelt Collier, Ron Johnson and Terence Higgins
- Samantha Fish
- New Orleans Suspects
- Sonic Bloom featuring Eric Benny Bloom
Tickets go on sale Monday, January 8, with both single day and 3-day offerings, including VIP packages with all-you-can-eat crawfish and craft beer. For ticket information and other details such as parking and transportation, go to nolacrawfishfest.com.
Central City BBQ is located one mile from the Superdome at 1201 South Rampart in New Orleans.
