Organizers of the National Fried Chicken Festival have announced the premier of National Fried Chicken Festival Week, which will take place from October 18 to 24.
The decision to reimagine the original festival into a week-long event was done to support businesses that have been negatively impacted due to the pandemic and Hurricane Ida. This marks the third time the festival or its date was recently changed, first scheduling to take place in August (and getting cancelled because of local COVID surges) and then getting rescheduled to October 23 and 24.
"While we were unable to put on our festival as planned, we wanted to look at other ways to assist our local businesses and culture bearers who are struggling and in need of assistance," Cleveland Spears III, FCF organizer and President/CEO of the Spears Group, said. "Our city and our region are reeling from multiple disasters, and hopefully, through National Fried Chicken Festival Week, we can bring some relief and respite to those who have already been through so much."
The festival week will showcase restaurants and non-food vendors that were scheduled to take part in this year's Fried Chicken Festival. Said partnering restaurants will, throughout the week, feature off-menu items that they would have presented and served at this year's fest.
"Our city's cultural institutions require our support, and having an event like the National Fried Chicken Festival Week can be a big contributor to our overall cultural economy," Lisa D. Alexis, President and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund, said. "As we continue to navigate the challenges from storms and the pandemic, we remain committed to ensuring that our most important cultural assets are protected and given the platform to display our city's longstanding history and heritage."
For more information and to see a complete list of
participating restaurants, visit friedchickenfestival.com. Make sure to
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