One of New Orleans’ most up-and-coming neighborhoods hosts its annual street fair when the O.C. Haley Merchants and Business Association (OCHMBA) presents the 2013 Central City Festival this Saturday, November 16 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. This year’s Central City Fest, entitled “Make A Joyful Noise,” features live performances from more than two dozen local musicians and dancers, as well as a locavore arts market perfect for holiday shopping.
Central City Fest is on O.C. Haley Blvd. this Saturday. (Photo: Peter Nakhid)
Originally created to celebrate local artists and entrepreneurs in the Central City neighborhood six years ago, the festival has been themed after the national “November to Remember” movement that celebrates small town main streets and urban neighborhood corridors as centers of sustainable localized economy. As many know, the Central City neighborhood, with Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard as its main vein, has struggled with massive disinvestment over the course of the past three decades or more. However, the dedicated programs of the community’s longtime pillars — the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, the OCHMBA, Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center and OCH Arts Market — have birthed the renaissance that is happening along O.C. Haley, or simply, “The Boulevard.”
The community groups recently decided to change the name of the annual festival to “Central City Fest” in order to celebrate the revitalization of the neighborhood since such efforts have facilitated the burgeoning “community of opportunity.” Organizers express that this preserves the area’s rich cultural traditions and fosters opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs—working toward “development, not displacement.”
Saturday’s musical line-up features headliner Irvin Mayfield Jr. and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, along with performances from the Tremé Brass Band, Fredy Omar‘s latin jazz and salsa, the Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians and the Black Men of Labor Social Aid and Pleasure Club. Full choirs from New Home Family Worship Center and New Hope Baptist Church will perform memorial tributes with their respective pastors, and dance presentations from Ashé’s Sistahs Making A Change and Kuumba Institute troupes will get things moving. Bounce artist Lucky Lou returns to Ashé once again to host the youth bounce competition to round out the festival’s multi-cultural ambiance.
Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard is the hub of the Central City neighborhood's renaissance.
Whatever your fancy — dancing, shopping, vending, volunteering — “The Boulevard” in Central City has it all this Saturday. The festival is still accepting vendor applications and looking for more volunteers. Apply to become a festival vendor here, or sign-up to volunteer here. Festival sponsorship opportunities are also available here.
The seventh annual Central City Festival takes place on Saturday, November 16 from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. along the Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard corridor, with activities at Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Zeitgeist, Casa Borrega and more. Admission is free, all ages and open to the public. For more information, please contact Gwen via [email protected] or 504-569-9070, or Sarah via [email protected] or 917-282-8559.
2013 Central City Festival Schedule
11:00 am to 12:00 pm: Opening Ceremony
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm: Youth Dance Extravaganza
Hosted by “Lucky Lou”
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Gospel Musical Memorial Tribute to Bishop Robert C. Blakes Sr. and Pastor John C. Raphael Jr.
*Presented by New Home Family Worship Center and New Hope Baptist Church
2:30 pm to 3:00 pm: Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians
3:00 pm to 3:45 pm: Freddy Omar
3:45 pm to 4:15 pm: Treme Brass Band and Black Men of Labor
4:15 pm to 6:00 pm: New Orleans Jazz Orchestra presents:
Grammy Award-winning Irvin Mayfield Jr.
and the Jazz Playhouse Revue
FOOD VENDORS
| Samuel Nichols | Alligator Bites, Popcorn Balls, Candied Apples |
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Lil Dustin Ital Ice |
Italian Ice, Fried Oreos, Shrimp Pasta, Drummettes |
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Funnel Cake, Fried Shrimp, French fries |
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Red Beans and Rice, Chicken Tenders, French Fries, Turkeck Neck, Sausage & Potatoes |
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Catfish Sandwiches, Sweet Potato Fries and BBQ Shrimp |
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LaDelyo’s Creole Catering |
Gumbo, Crawfish Nachos & Fried Rice |
