New Orleans’ largest free festival, the French Quarter Festival, announced its 2014 programming this morning; a line-up that once again expands the growing annual fest with a new stage, new cuisine experiences, a very special exclusive performance and more. This year’s festival, taking place April 10 – 13, marks the 31st anniversary of what began as a locals’ neighborhood gathering designed to attract locals back to the Quarter after construction to spruce it up pre-1984 Worlds’ Fair.
French Quarter Fest (FQF) is now touted as one of the city’s “destination” events by tourism officials, and claims an economic impact of $246-million from an estimated 560,000 festival-goers in 2013, according to the producers at French Quarter Festivals, Inc (FQFI). 2013’s title sponsor, Chevron, continued its partnership with FQFI’s series of annual fests (which also include Satchmo Summerfest and Christmas New Orleans Style) this year, providing considerable support for FQF’s expanded programming.
French Quarter Festival 2014 official poster featuring Dr. John.
The 2014 line-up’s marquee performance will be Dr. John‘s first appearance at French Quarter Fest since 1987. Organizers note that Mac’s French Quarter Fest set is he and the Nite Trippers only spring festival performance for 2014, and is to be followed by a closing performance by the Roots of Music youth marching band (beneficiary of the FQF Gala fundraiser and last April’s OffBeat Magazine cover story) and the Grammy Award-winning Rebirth Brass Band, making the evening a not-to-be-missed event. This year’s official festival poster, created by local artist Varion Laurent, also pays homage to Dr. John as its 2014 subject. The poster is available for pre-order now on the French Quarter Fest website.
One of the new highlights this year is the re-opening of the Mississippi Riverfront strip that has been closed for renovations, where French Quarter Fest will launch a new stage. The Big River Stage is scheduled to host performances from Davell Crawford, Paul Sanchez and the Minimum Rage, Glen David Andrews, Jeremy Davenport, New Birth Brass Band, Eric Lindell, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Flow Tribe, Diablo’s Horns, George Porter, Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners, Lynn Drury, Russell Batiste & Friends with The Wild Tchoupitoulas featuring Jason Neville, Egg Yolk Jubilee, Big Chief Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias, Casa Samba Extravaganza, The New Orleans Suspects, the Iguanas, and more.
In addition to the new Big River Stage, the fest converts the Old U.S, Mint Stage into the Popeye’s Brass Band Stage, which will see sets from Leroy Jones’ Original Hurricane Brass Band, Hot 8 Brass Band, The Original Pinettes Brass Band, Treme Brass Band, Audacity Brass Band, Lagniappe Brass Band, Onward Brass Band, Corey Henry’s Treme Funktet, The Original Pinettes Brass Band, Andrew Hall’s Society Brass Band, Orleans Brass Band, and more.
Of the fest’s 21 stages (indoor and outdoor throughout the French Quarter), one of last year’s platforms stood out in particular as a patron favorite, and so the Chevron Cajun-Zydeco Showcase returns at the Bienville Triangle to feature the Big Easy Playboys, Waylon Thibodeaux Band, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, Corey Ledet, Brandon Moreau & his Cajungrass, Bruce Daigrepoint Cajun Band, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Amada Shaw, Feufollet, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, Babineaux Sisters Band, Rusty Metoyer and the Zydeco Krush, Sean Ardoin-n-Zydekool, Roddie Romero & the Hub City Allstars, Les Freres Michot, Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots, the Lost Bayou Ramblers, and more.
A variety of other New Orleans-centric cultural programming also includes diverse presentations like “Opera at Dusk” and the traditional Friday morning second line parade to kick-off the festivities.
Of course no authentic Crescent City festival would be complete without a bevy of culinary options, and French Quarter Fest producers promise that 2014 will once again be a foodie’s paradise with over 60 local restaurants who participate in what producers call the “World’s Largest Jazz Brunch.” Rouse’s Louisiana supermarket chain is back to host the “World Largest Crawfish Eating Contest” and with freshly the opened and reconstructed riverwalk this year, the fest adds a new riverfront “dining area” on the Kohlmeyer Lawn as well to provide a more comfortable cuisine experience.
The French Quarter Festival Louisiana Music Film Festival, launched last year at the Old U.S. Mint with the Timecode:Nola independent filmmakers collective, will be back too. This year it moves to the newly re-opened Le Petit Theatre at the corner of Jackson Square. Timecode:Nola and the festival will announce the 2014 film screenings and discussions schedule, to take place on Saturday, and Sunday in the coming weeks.
If taking in some Louisiana music films inspires you to learn more about local cultural history and even try your hand (or foot) at a few local traditions, French Quarter Fest’s educational programming continues to provide with the “Let Them Talk: Conversations About Louisiana Music” panels at the Old U.S. Mint on Friday and Saturday, free dance lessons from grand marshall Dancing Man 504 and the NOLA Jitterbugs throughout the weekend, a children’s activities zone and a juried art show in Pirate’s Alley. Complete line-up and daily stage schedules to be announced.
FRENCH QUARTER FESTIVAL 2014 ALPHABETICAL PERFORMANCE LINE-UP BY DATE:
French Quarter Fest Debuts
Babineaux Sisters Band
Baby Bee
Chegadão
Corey Henry’s Tremé Funktet
Jaland Crossland
Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen
Jumonville / Staehle
Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas
Preservation Hall Brass Ensemble
Rebecca Roubion
Rusty Metoyer and the Zydeco Krush
Sean Bruce
Symphony Chorus of New Orleans
The Believers
The Idlewild String Confederation
Travis Meadows
Thursday, April 10
Bag of Donuts
BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet
Benny Grunch and the Bunch
Big Easy Playboys
Blues Masters featuring “Big Al” Carson
Bonerama
Chris Owens
Corey Ledet
Eric Lindell
Flow Tribe
Fredy Omar con su Banda
Gravy
Irma Thomas, Soul Queen of New Orleans
Joe Krown, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & Russell Batiste
Lionel Ferbos and the Louisiana Shakers
New Birth Brass Band
Organic Trio
Panorama Jazz Band
PJ Morton
PresHall Brass
Soul Project NOLA
Tank and the Bangas
The Pfister Sisters
The Victory Big Band
Waylon Thibodeaux Band
Friday, April 11
Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys
Audacity Brass Band
Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses
Banu Gibson & the New Orleans Hot Jazz
Brandon Moreau and Cajungrass
Brass-A-Holics
Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band
Camile Baudoin and the Living Rumors
Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band
Connie Jones and the FQF All Stars
Dash Rip Rock
Davell Crawford
Davis Rogan
Debauche
Diablo’s Horns
Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders
Donald Harrison, Jr.
Dr. John and the Nite Trippers
Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue
George Porter, Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners
Kid Merv and All That Jazz
Lagniappe Brass Band
Leroy Jones’ Original Hurricane Brass Band
Luke Winslow-King
Marc Stone
Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas
Nigel Hall
Paul Sanchez and Minimum Rage
Rebirth Brass Band
Robin Barnes
Rotary Downs
Shannon Powell and his Traditional All-stars
Stooges Brass Band
The Dukes of Dixieland (40th Anniversary)
The New Orleans Nightingales Revue
The Roots of Music
Tricia Boutté & Bootleg Operation
Wendell Brunious
Saturday, April 12
Amy Trail
Andrew Duhon
Babineaux Sisters Band
Big Chief Bo Dollis, Jr. & the Wild Magnolias
Brother Tyrone & the Mindbenders
Charmaine Neville
Chegadão
Chris Mulé & the Perpetrators
Christian Serpas & Ghost Town
Clive Wilson’s New Orleans Serenaders
Colin Lake
Corey Henry’s Treme Funktet
Cori Walters and the Universe Jazz Band
Dave Ferrato & Tchoupazine
Denton Hatcher
Duke Heitger’s Steamboat Stompers
Egg Yolk Jubilee
Erica Falls
Ernie Vincent and the Top Notes
Feufollet
Garden District Trio
Glen David Andrews
Hot Club of New Orleans
Irvin Mayfield and the Jazz Playhouse Revue
Jaland Crossland
Jane Harvey Brown Traditional Jazz Stars
Jerry Embree’s Jazzman Band
Jimmy LaRocca’s Original Dixieland Jazz Band
John Autin and Ex-Treme
Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes
Jumonville/Staehle
Lars Edegran’s New Orleans Jazz Band
Lena Prima and Band
Lynn Drury
New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings
NOCCA Jazz Ensemble
Onward Brass Band
Opera on Tap
Otra
Ovi-G and the Froggies
Rebecca Roubion
Renard Poché Band
Rick Trolsen’s New Orleans Po-Boys
Roddie Romero & the Hub City Allstars
Royal & Dumaine Hawaiians
Russell Batiste & Friends w/ the Wild Tchoupitoulas featuring Jason Neville
Rusty Metoyer and the Zydeco Krush
Sean Ardoin-n-Zydekool
Sean Bruce
Some Like it Hot Traditional Jazz Band
Steve Pistorius & the Southern Syncopators
The Bottoms Up Blues Gang
The Dixie Cups (50th Anniversary)
The Irene Sage Band
The New Orleans Jazz Vipers
The Original Pinettes Brass Band
The Ronnie Kole Show featuring John Perkins
The Smoking Time Jazz Club
Tim Laughlin
Tom McDermott & His Jazz Hellions
Tommy Malone
Travis Meadows
Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters
Zion Trinity Band
Sunday, April 13
Alexis and the Samurai
Anais St. John
Andrew Hall’s Society Brass Band
Astral Project
Baby Bee
Bamboula 2000
Bucktown All-Stars
Carl LeBlanc
Casa Samba Extravaganza
Creole String Beans
Crescent City Brass
Dancing at Dusk with the Tom Saunders and the Tomcats
Daria and the Hip Drops
Don Jamison Heritage School of Music
Gina Brown & Anutha Level
Harmonouche
Harpist Rachel Van Voorhees
Helen Gillet’s Wazozo Zorchestra
Hot 8 Brass Band
I’voire Spectacle
Ingrid Lucia
James Andrews
Jeremy Davenport
John Fohl
Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen
Kid Simmons Jazz Band
Kristin Diable
Leif Pedersen’s 1944 Big Band
Leroy Jones & New Orleans’ Finest
Les Freres Michot
Lillian Boutté & Gumbo Zaire
Linnzi Zaorski
Little Freddie King
Los Po-Boy-Citos
Lost Bayou Ramblers
Mardi Gras Indian Orchestra
Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns
Miss Sophie Lee
Nasimiyu Marumba Band
New Orleans Classic Jazz Orchestra
New Orleans Moonshiners
Orange Kellin’s New Orleans Deluxe Orchestra
Orleans Brass Band
Peter Novelli
Raw Oyster Cult
Rhodes Spedale & Cool Breeze
Seva Venet and his Storyville Stringband
Storyville Stompers Brass Band
Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots
Susan Cowsill
The Believers
The Friendly Travelers
The Idlewild String Confederation
The Iguanas
The New Orleans Suspects
The Uptown Jazz Orchestra
Tommy Sancton’s New Orleans Legacy Band
Treme Brass Band
Tuba Skinny
Wanda Rouzan and a Taste of New Orleans
Young Reliance Brass Band
More Info: www.fqfi.org
