French Quarter Festival
April 9-11, 2010

Celebrating the rites of spring and the best-preserved historical district in the United States, the 27th Annual French Quarter Festival swings into full gear on the weekend of Friday, April 9 and runs through Sunday, April 11.

Widely known as “The World’s Largest Block Party,” that’s exactly what it is with one twist: it encompasses far more than just a single block. Nearly half of the 100-block Vieux Carre is cordoned off and dozens of music stages, food and crafts booths and other concessions are spread out over the wide area – including Jackson Square and the riverfront – to allow for maximum enjoyment and freedom of movement.

This year over 450 musical artists – all local New Orleans and Louisiana musicians – will be performing on 17 stages scattered throughout the French Quarter and along the riverfront and in Jackson Square. Music in all imaginable genres will be featured, including rock, pop, Cajun/Zydeco, Latin, country/western, folk, funk, gospel, blues, R&B, hip hop, and, of course, New Orleans’ famous traditional jazz.

Popular returning artists include Zydeco wizards Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and Sunpie Barnes; trumpeters extraordinaires Kermit Ruffins, Irvin Mayfield, Connie Jones and Jeremy Davenport; Cajun fiddle prodigy Amanda Shaw; Latin sensation Fredy Omar con su Banda; keyboard wizards Ronnie Kole and Tom McDermott; Susan Cowsill and her band; plus the city’s most famous brass bands and Mardi Gras Indians. Add to that a slew of New Orleans’ up and coming musicians, including Luke Winslow King and Andrew Duhon; plus several opera and classical music performances too –hundreds of hours in live entertainment, all FREE.

And this year, join French Quarter Fest in a very special tribute to New Orleans native son Louis Prima, who was born 100 years ago here in the Crescent City. The “King of Las Vegas” during his 1950s and ‘60s heyday, the great trumpeter/vocalist will be feted by members of his family, including Louis Prima, Jr., who sings and plays just like his Dad.

Visit www.fqfi.org to view a full, day-by-day lineup of musical entertainment.

Food, Arts and Crafts and More

New Orleans’ famous, fabulous cuisine will be featured at more than 100 food and beverage booths from some of the city's culinary elite. They will be conveniently located in Jackson Square, Woldenberg Riverfront Park and on the grounds of the Louisiana State Museum's Old U.S. Mint. All told, this makes up the "World's Largest Jazz Brunch," featuring authentic local cuisines from the area's finest restaurants.

These concessions will include such time-tested festival favorites as Jambalaya, Crawfish Bread, Gumbo, Red Beans and Rice, Muffalettas, Crawfish Bisque, Hot Sausage Po-boys, Cajun Meat Pies, Alligator Sausage and more. Foodies will also enjoy Crawfish and Goat Cheese Crepes, Fish Tacos, White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding, and Praline Creme Brulee. In addition to all of the wonderful food items, the festival offers an array of deliciously cool beverages including locally brewed Abita Beer, frozen Southern Comfort cocktails, Fetzer wines, Coca-Cola products, Pat O’Brien’s famous Hurricanes, Margaritas, Mojitos, and a wide assortment of daiquiris, and locally produced Community Coffee (with chicory). Most menu items range in price from $3 -$7 to keep the festival not only fun, but affordable.

BMI Collaboration and Classical Music

This year, for the first time, French Quarter Festivals, Inc. entered into a collaboration with BMI, and will be launching a brand new stage at The Historic New Orleans Collection, 533 Royal Street. Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI) is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 400,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 6.5 million works. On Saturday and Sunday of the festival, the BMI Songwriter Stage will feature a dozen of the region's finest up-and-comers. Programming for BMI Songwriter stage will occur from 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11.

The popular Classical Music Stage will be located at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre at the corner of St. Peter and Chartres streets, diagonally opposite Jackson Square. The Classical Music Stage and Le Petit, the oldest operating community theatre in the country, will feature performances by some of the most respected classical music performers from the area including harpist Rachel Van Voorhees, guitarist John Rankin, and the Crescent Woodwind Quartet. Performances on the Classical Music Stage will take place from 11 a.m. through 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11.

iPhone Apps and Dance Lessons

Catering to technology-savvy festival-goers, the 2010 French Quarter Festival will offer its first-ever iPhone application. Made possible through a partnership with Applitite, iPhone users will have a personal FQ Fest Guide at their fingertips. Applitite, the leader in music festival mobile application provider and avid festival lovers, has created an application that allows revelers to plan their agenda, get up-to-the-minute updates about the event, and access the festival map and music schedule directly from iPhones and iPod touches. The application will be available for download prior to French Quarter Festival and can be downloaded through the Apple's iTunes Store.

On the other hand, patrons yearning for something more nostalgic can partake in the series of traditional dance lessons located at the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage, located at Governor Nicholls Street and French Market Place. Between musical breaks, festival patrons are invited to learn traditional dances styles such as the Charleston, Swing, and the Second-line, a favorite New Orleans tradition.

Instructors from Fleur de Lindy and Dancingman504.com will be on hand demonstrating and educating visitors on these various dance styles on a state-of-the-art dance floor. Performers such as the Jazz Vipers, Sophie Lee, Rick Trolson & the New Orleans PoBoys, and James Andrews will provide “music to swing to” all weekend long on the Traditional Jazz Stage.

“Louis-Louis” and “For the Kids”

French Quarter Festival celebrates the return of the “Louis-Louis” Pavilion Stage on the riverfront, paying tribute to Louis Armstrong and Louis Prima with special performances dedicated to these famous native sons. WWOZ 90.7 FM will be broadcasting live from the “Louis-Louis” Pavilion Stage all weekend long. FQF will also act as the maiden voyage of the WWOZ '”Street-Wise” mobile broadcasting unit, a broadcast device created from a hi-tech supermarket shopping cart. The device will move around the festival, broadcasting live from the various street stages all weekend long.

And, for the kids, the ever-popular Children's Headquarters has been expanded and relocated to the Audubon Aquarium Plaza on the riverfront. Anchoring the Children's Headquarters will be The Kids' Stage at the Canal Street ferry landing. This year, the Children's Headquarters will again focus on educating families about “healthy kids” programs in a fun and interactive way.

Louis Prima Tribute

The highlight of this year’s 14th Annual New Orleans International Music Colloquium will be a tribute to the “King of Las Vegas,” Louis Prima. Born in New Orleans on December 7, 1910, Prima took the music world by storm with an inimitable combination of talented musicianship and onstage clowning with his singing partners and sidemen.

During his half-century in the entertainment business, Prima set the standard for great showmanship, often performing memorable duets with former wives Keely Smith and Gia Maione. The Prima-Smith collaboration on “That Old Black Magic” in 1958 won them the first-ever Grammy Award for a musical duet. During his reign on the “Vegas Strip,” Prima’s shows drew millions of attendees, including many of the greatest celebrities of the 20th century. He passed on in 1978.

The colloquium on Prima will feature discussions about his life and career and old film and movie clips of his performances will be screened. Family members will be on hand to relate firsthand experiences with him and there will be performances of some of his best-known music. The tribute will go on throughout the entire weekend. For a more detailed schedule of the Louis Prima tribute events call French Quarter Festivals, Inc. at 504-522-5730 or the Historic New Orleans Collection at 504-523-4662.

Out-of-town festival-goers are encouraged to book their travel accommodations now. Many area hotels have already begun taking French Quarter Fest reservations and rooms are expected to fill up quickly now that this year’s event schedule has been announced. As always, there is no better time to visit New Orleans as the spring, especially during the weekend of French Quarter Festival-the largest free music festival in the South. April marks the start of the festival season in New Orleans and a month of beautiful weather.

For more detailed information log on to www.fqfi.org or call 504-522-5730.

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