For the third year in a row, the NOLA Crawfish Festival will deliver what organizers are calling a combination of “mouthwatering crawfish, funky rockin’ rhythms and thirst-quenching local brews.” This year’s installment, however, has even more goodies in store, including a headlining performance from Tab Benoit’s Whiskey Bayou Records Revue and the Fest’s first ever NOLA Crawfish Eating Championship.

 

From April 30 through May 2, Central City BBQ (1201 S. Rampart St.) will host the annual event centered around the city’s unofficial mascot. NOLA Crawfish King will serve up the goods, while local breweries like Port Orleans will be steady pourin’.

The full music lineup for the 3rd Annual NOLA Crawfish Festival is as follows:

• 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

Chris Davis, festival founder and master boiler at NOLA Crawfish King, says crowds can expect “plenty of surprise guests.”

Tickets go on sale Monday, January 8, with both single day and three-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 here: http://nolacrawfishfest.com/