Organizers of the 2019 French Quarter Festival have unveiled the details of this year’s performance lineup, as well as some other major announcements.
French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (FQFI) will put on the 36th annual affair April 11-14. The free festival is widely considered to be the world’s largest showcase of Louisiana music, food and culture—and it’s only getting bigger.
More than 200 artists will perform on 23 stages, including 38 acts making their French Quarter Fest debut. Galactic will appear for the first time, as will Big 6 Brass Band, Keith Burnstein’s Kettle Black, Lil’ Glenn & Backatown, and Magnolia Sisters. Returning favorites include John Boutté, Erica Falls, Little Freddie King, Amanda Shaw, Bill Summers & Jazalsa, Irma Thomas, Water Seed and many others.
New this year is the expansion of longtime Cajun/Zydeco destination, the Chevron Stage. It will now include more genres and feature the talents of Jon Cleary, George Porter, Jr. & the Runnin’ Partners, Flow Tribe, and Rockin’ Dopsie.
“Our mission is to promote New Orleans’ culture and heritage, and this year we have more ways to achieve it,” said Emily Madero, President & CEO of FQFI. “Our Chevron Evening Concert Series will showcase more genres with artists like George Porter, Jr., and a new stage on the Moonwalk will expand riverfront entertainment. If you’re looking for a VIP experience, our membership program, Fest Family, now includes single day options and gives attendees a way to directly support our free event!”
At the Hilton Stage, folks can expect to see performances from Ellis Marsalis, Leroy Jones, Shannon Powell, Robin Barnes, James Andrews and others. Rebirth Brass Band, The Iguanas, and Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters will hold down the Abita Beer Stage, while the GE Stage will be buoyed by Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Corey Henry & the Treme Funktet, and Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show. Brass-A-Holics, Rory Danger & the Danger Dangers will rock the Jack Daniel’s Stage.
In addition, musicians whose performances were cancelled due to inclement weather during the 2018 event were re-booked whenever possible. A complete lineup follows:
Thursday, April 11:
| Bag of Donuts |
| Brass-A-Holics |
| Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band |
| Cha Wa |
| Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band |
| Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band |
| Darcy Malone and The Tangle |
| Evan Christopher’s Clarinet Road |
| Funk Monkey |
| Galactic * |
| Jon Cleary |
| Juju Child & The Hypnotic Roots Band |
| Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers |
| Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers |
| Kinfolk Brass Band |
| Lil’ Glenn & Backatown * |
| Mykia Jovan * |
| New Breed Brass Band |
| Otra |
| Panorama Jazz Band |
| Preservation All-Stars |
| Rebirth Brass Band |
| Sasha Masakowski and Art Market |
| Stephanie Jordan |
| The Blues Masters w/ “Big Al” Carson |
| The DayWalkers** |
| The Dukes Of Dixieland |
| The Tin Men |
| Tonya Boyd-Cannon |
| Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony |
| Wendell Brunious |
Friday, April 12:
| Alex McMurray |
| Audacity Brass Band |
| Babineaux Sisters Band |
| Banu Gibson |
| Benny Grunch and the Bunch |
| Big Frank & Lil Frank and the Dirty Old Men |
| Buku Broux * |
| Cameron Dupuy and The Cajun Troubadours * |
| Cullen Landry and the Midnight Streetcar Band featuring Al “Carnival Time” Johnson |
| Cupid & the Dance Party Express Band |
| DeJan’s Olympia Brass Band |
| Delfeayo Marsalis and The Uptown Jazz Orchestra |
| Fredy Omar con su Banda |
| G and The Swingin’ Gypsies |
| Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue |
| George Porter, Jr. & the Runnin’ Pardners |
| Irma Thomas, Soul Queen of New Orleans |
| Jamal Batiste Band |
| Jamey St Pierre |
| Jeffery Broussard and The Creole Cowboys ? |
| Joe Lastie’s New Orleans Sound |
| John “Papa” Gros |
| John Boutté |
| Josh Benitez Band * |
| Kumasi |
| Lena Prima |
| Leroy Jones & New Orleans’ Finest |
| Lisa Amos |
| Little Freddie King |
| Lost Bayou Ramblers |
| Mason Ruffner |
| Nebula Rosa * |
| New Orleans Nightcrawlers |
| Orange Kellin’s New Orleans Deluxe Orchestra |
| Ovi-G Froggies |
| Papa Mali |
| Partners N Crime & The Big Easy Band |
| Quiana Lynell |
| Steve Pistorius & the Southern Syncopators |
| Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots |
| TBC Brass Band |
| The Iguanas |
| The Nation of Gumbollia |
| The New Orleans Klezmer All Stars |
| The Original Pinettes Brass Band |
| The Revealers |
| The Soul Rebels |
| The Vettes |
| Tricia Boutté & Nordic Swing |
| Valerie Sassyfras |
| Wynton (aka Kevin Stylez) * |
| Zoe K * |
Saturday, April 13:
| A2D2 Experience with Antoine Diel & Arséne DeLay** |
| Al “Lil Fats” Jackson ** |
| Alfred Banks w/Live Band** |
| Alvin Youngblood Hart’s Muscle Theory |
| Amanda Ducorbier |
| Biglemoi* |
| Bill Summers & Jazalsa |
| Blonde Roses* |
| Carl LeBlanc |
| Chance Bushman & The Ibervillianaires |
| Charlie Halloran and the Quality 6 |
| Charmaine Neville |
| Christian Serpas & Ghost Town |
| Corey Henry & the Treme Funktet |
| Cyril Neville’s Swamp Funk |
| Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders |
| Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers |
| Egg Yolk Jubilee |
| Ellis Marsalis Quintet |
| Flow Tribe |
| Frankie Boots* |
| Garden District Jazz Band |
| Gerald French and Friends |
| Helen Gillet & Wazozo |
| Higher Heights Reggae Band |
| Homer A. Plessy Community School** |
| Hot 8 Brass Band |
| Hot Rod Lincoln |
| Jeremy Joyce * |
| Keith Burnstein’s Kettle Black** |
| Kim Carson & the Real Deal |
| Lawrence Cotton Legendary Experience |
| Leroy Jones’ Original Hurricane Brass Band |
| Linnzi Zaorski |
| Luna Mora** |
| Lynn Drury |
| Magnolia Sisters * |
| Mark Brooks |
| Mayumi Shara & New Orleans Jazz Letters |
| Mia Borders |
| Miss Sophie Lee |
| Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles |
| Muevelo |
| Naydja CoJoe |
| New Birth Brass Band |
| New Orleans Classic Jazz Orchestra |
| New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings |
| New Orleans Suspects |
| New Orleans Swamp Donkeys |
| NOCCA Jazz Ensemble |
| Patrice Fisher and Arpa |
| Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show |
| Richard “Piano” Scott and Friends |
| Riverdale High School R-Project Brass Band * |
| Rory Danger & the Danger Dangers |
| Russell Welch Hot Quartet * |
| Rusty Metoyer and the Zydeco Krush |
| Scorpedos* |
| Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs |
| Some Like it Hot Traditional Jazz Band |
| Storyville Stompers Brass Band |
| Sullivan Dabney’s Muzik Jazz Band |
| Susan Cowsill |
| Sweet Olive String Band ** |
| Taylor Smith & The Roamin’ Jasmine * |
| The Light Set * |
| The Nayo Jones Experience |
| The New Orleans Jazz Vipers |
| The Ronnie Kole Show featuring John Perkins |
| The Zion Harmonizers |
| Them Ol Ghosts* |
| Tim Laughlin |
| Tom McDermott and His Jazz Hellions |
| Tommy Sancton’s New Orleans Legacy Band |
| Treme Brass Band |
| Tricentennial High School Band * * |
| Troy Sawyer and the Elementz |
| Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters |
| Washboard Chaz Blues Trio |
| Water Seed |
| Waylon Thibodeaux Band |
Sunday, April 14:
| Alexandra Scott |
| Alice Harte Middle School Band “The Heartbeat of the South” * |
| Amanda Shaw |
| Anaïs St. John |
| Andrew Hall’s Society Brass Band |
| Astral Project |
| Aurora Nealand & The Royal Roses |
| Bamboula 2000 |
| Beth Patterson |
| Betty Win and One A Chord |
| Big 6 Brass Band * |
| Big Chief Bo Dollis, Jr. & the Wild Magnolias |
| Bon Bon Vivant |
| Bonerama |
| Borealis Rex * |
| Bucktown All-Stars |
| Calvin Johnson and Native Son |
| Charlie Wooton’s Zydefunk |
| Clive Wilson’s New Orleans Serenaders |
| Cole Williams Band |
| Creole String Beans |
| Dancing at Dusk with Tom Saunders and the Tomcats |
| Daria & The Hip Drops |
| Dash Rip Rock |
| Dave Ferrato |
| Davis Rogan |
| Debbie Davis and the Mesmerizers |
| Don Jamison Heritage School Of Music (Citywide) |
| Doro Wat * |
| Ecirb Müller’s Twisted Dixie |
| Erica Falls |
| Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestras |
| Honey Island Swamp Band |
| Hot Club of New Orleans |
| Irene Sage |
| James Andrews |
| Jamil Sharif |
| Jason Marsalis 21st Century Trad Band |
| Jeremy Davenport |
| Jesse Morrow Trio |
| John Royen’s New Orleans Rhythm Band |
| Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes |
| Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band |
| Kid Simmons Jazz Band |
| Louis Ford and His New Orleans Flairs |
| Love Evolution |
| Luke Spurr Allen |
| Lulu and the Broadsides (feat. Dayna Kurtz)** |
| Luna Mora ** |
| MainLine |
| Margie Perez |
| Mike Harvey’s Hot Club |
| Mikhala “Jazz Muffin” Iversen |
| On The Levee Band |
| Original Dixieland Jazz Band |
| Palmetto Bug Stompers |
| Papo y Son Mandao |
| Paulin Brothers Jazz Band |
| Rechelle Cook and the Regeneration Band |
| Red Hot Brass Band |
| Red Wolf Brass Band |
| Rhodes Spedale & Live Jazz Group |
| Robin Barnes & The Fiyabirds |
| Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters |
| Sean Ardoin |
| Shake Em’ Up Jazz Band |
| Shannon Powell Traditional All-Star Band |
| Shawan Rice * |
| Soul Brass Band |
| Stone Rabbits * |
| Sweet Crude |
| Thais Clark & her JAZZsters |
| the Daiquiri Queens * |
| The Dixie Cups |
| The Pfister Sisters |
| The Quickening |
| Tuba Skinny |
| Wanda Rouzan and A Taste of New Orleans |
Also on the lineup are 60+ food vendors, sponsored by Broussard’s Restaurant and Courtyard. Café Maspero, Landry’s Seafood, Messina’s at the Terminal, Morrow’s, New Orleans School of Cooking, Sweet Handkraft, and We Dat’s Chicken and Shrimp will make their festival debuts, while Café Dauphine, Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse, GW Fins, Tujague’s and more will return.
Also unveiled today is the official poster for the 2019 French Quarter Festival, which features Irma Thomas and was created by Ayo Scott.
This year’s festival will feature a program that will allow attendees to recycle plastics and cans. Sponsored by Chevron, the recycling program is part of FQFI’s goal to reduce waste and contribute to a sustainable future. “French Quarter Festivals, Inc. is striving to be an industry leader in waste reduction; it’s important to our long-term success and aligns with our mission to instill increased pride in our community,” said Emily Madero, President & CEO of FQFI. “Last year we introduced recycling at Satchmo SummerFest and diverted 1.4 tons of waste from landfills. We are thrilled to expand that effort at French Quarter Festival.”
For more information on all things French Quarter Fest, click here.
