It’s here: the big stuff! French Quarter Fest, Jazz Fest, and even Ponchatoula Strawberry Fest if you’re willing to take a road trip!
Here are our picks for local fests in April, and even a few must-do ones out of the city 😉
What: New Orleans Food and Wine Experience
When: April 3-7
Where: Various locations
Price: Experience tickets start at $35
This five-day festival features more than a dozen food and wine seminars. A highlight includes the Royal Street Stroll, which takes place Apri 4. The stroll kicks off with a parade from none other than the Krewe of Cork, and attendees receive a free wine glass to keep. You can stroll down Royal Street sampling from various wine vendors, and participating shops have specials just for the evening. Click here for more information on the fest.
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What: Freret Street Festival
When: Saturday, April 6
Where: Freret Street, between Napoleon and Valmont
Price: Free to enter
More than 200 food, arts and crafts vendors will take to Freret Street for this outdoor fest. Performers include ChaWa, dance demonstrations by Nola Capoeira and Margie Perez. Pro tip: take the streetcar here and save yourself the frustration of parking. Click here for more information.
What: Pinch-A-Palooza
When: Sunday, April 7
Where: Deanie’s Seafood – Bucktown
Price: Admission with $1 donation
It’s spring and you know what that means: crawfish season has returned! Deanie’s Seafood is providing the mudbugs, but for those who still want crawfish with a little less work, dishes like crawfish étoufée, crawfish nachos and crawfish queso will be for sale too. There’s lots of stuff for the mini’s to do also, including spacewalks, face painting and a crawfish tic-tac-toe board. Click here for more information.
What: French Quarter Festival
When: April 11 – 14
Where: French Quarter
Price: Free
One of the biggest free fests the city has to offer, French Quarter Fest is pretty much the official kickoff to fest season. More than 20 stages and dozens of restaurants will participate in the annual fest. Click here for more information.
What: Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival
When: April 12 – 14
Where: Ponchatoula Memorial Park
Price: Free
Everything strawberry you would ever want. ALL. THE. STRAWBERRIES! Seriously, this sweet crimson festival in the not-so-far away land of Ponchatoula is a must. All the jams, preserves, plants, popcorn, draaanks, games and more – BUT ALL STRAWBERRIES. Get this in your life.
What: Earth Day
When: April 16, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Where: New Orleans Botanical Garden
Price: Admission by donation
This weekend is usually a breather between French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest, but who needs a break?! Live acoustic music, activities for kids, and food trucks will be there, serving dishes in compostable dishes. Click here for more information.
What: New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
When: April 25-28
Where: New Orleans Fair Grounds
Price: Tickets start at $75 in advance, $85 at the gate
This one is arguably the big daddy of festivals. So the Rolling Stones pulling out was a bummer, but hey, waiting to see who’s going to replace them is half the excitement! Click here for more information.
What: Zoo-To-Do for kids
When: April 26
Where: Audubon Zoo
Price: $20 for members, $40 for nonmembers
The great thing about zoo festivals is getting to experience the zoo in unique ways. Zoo-To-Do is exclusive to those who bought tickets, so there’s less people to deal with than a regular day. Sing-a-longs are staged throughout the zoo, there will be spacewalks for the kids, face painters, and food from dozens of restaurants. Click here for more information.
What: Angola Prison Rodeo
When: April 27-28
Where: Angola Prison
Price: $20
The rodeo, which starts at 2 p.m., has bull riding, bareback riding, and wild horse racing. But what brings people out year after year is the chance to get unique arts and crafts, made by the prisoners themselves. Click here for more information.
