New Orleans in March: Festivals

Posted by Benson

In New Orelans, the spring and early summer are always packed with festivals, shows, and events that celebrate many aspects of the local culture.  March is a particularly lively month.  Not only does Mardi Gras typically fall very close to March, but there’s also Saint Patrick’s Day.  New Orleans is an old city with strong Spanish and French influences, and after almost 300 years, it still has a thriving Catholic community.  Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations have a long history in New Orleans, and the popular Saint Patrick’s Day parades are always quick to revive the carnival spirit.

This year, Fat Tuesday is on February 21^st, which is a good deal away from our March 10^th crawfish boil date.  The boil is also a week before Saint Patrick’s Day, so at first it looked like this year the boil was perfectly timed for ya’ll to miss out on any parades.  Luckily, I discovered that the Metairie Road Saint Patrick’s Day Parade rolls on Sunday, March 11^th, the day after the boil.

While traditionally slightly less raucous than most Mardi Gras parades, Saint Patrick’s Day parades are always a fun time and a sight to see.   In addition to beads, traditional parade throws include cabbages, onions, carrots, and especially moonpies!  You can find out more about the Matairie Road parade here.

If you are interested in music, the Foburg Music Festival is a fast-growing staple of the March festival scene.  Foburg is a three day alternative music festival that takes place in various venues in the Marginy neighborhood of New Orleans, just past the French Market in the Quarter.  This year the festival is the same weekend as the crawfish boil.  It kicks off on Friday, March 9^th and goes through Sunday.  Keep an eye on the Foburg website for updates about bands and venues.

Crawfish will not be the only Louisiana seafood that you will have an opportunity to enjoy on Saturday.  This year, the Louisiana Oyster Jubilee is the same day as the crawfish boil!  The Oyster Jubilee is a celebration of Louisiana oysters that takes place in the French Quarter every year.  It is a really fun event with live music, a local chef competition, and the Longest Oyster Po-Boy!    

If you are looking for something a little more refined than parades and street-side events, you are in luck!  The French Quarter Wine Festival is taking place during the entire month of March.  The festival is a series of wine dinners and lectures throughout the month hosted at various wineries in the French Quarter.  The dinners take place on Tuesday and Wednesday every week.  You can visit the festival’s website for details about specific events and to purchase tickets.

The New Orleans Museum of art is also opening its 26^th annual Art in Bloom charity event on Wednesday, March 14^th with a Patron and Preview party.  The event features culinary masterpieces by the finest area restaurants and caterers and a silent auction of unique works of art by the region’s most gifted artists.  Tickets are available on the NOMA website.

Finally, if you are interested in arts and crafts, two very excellent festivals are taking place during the weekend of the crawfish boil: Frisco Fest and the Lagniappe Dulcimer Fete.  Both are multiple day events taking place over the weekend.  The Dulcimer Fete starts on Thursday, March 8^th and Frisco Fest starts on Saturday, March 10^th.  Both events continue through Sunday.

Frisco Fest is a wonderful casual craft fair held on the San Francisco Plantation near New Orleans.  This year’s fest will include more than 100 art and craft booths, a cracklin’ contest (not to be missed), as well as live performances by Geno Delafose and the French Rockin’ Boogie.

The Lagniappe Dulcimer Fete takes place in Port Allen, LA, which is close to Baton Rouge.  Even so, it is only a quick hour drive from New Orleans.  If you are interested in the dulcimer, the Fete is a great opportunity to learn more about this interesting instrument and the music it is closely associated with.  The Fete features nightly concerts, dulcimer classes for all levels of skill, as well as vendors.