Oyster Fest & Krewe of Boo Dance-Off

It was 90 and humid for the 1oth New Orleans Oyster Fest and the first Krewe of Boo Dance-Off, but that didn’t keep us away from the festivities. Lunch was Crabmeat Ravioli ($10) from Andrea’s Restaurant & Catering, and Food Drunk’s Louisiana Crab & Crawfish Mac & Cheese ($10), then a Wedding Cake Snoball from Nola Snow (LG $7 w/souvenir cup). Nola Snow provided the snoballs for our wedding reception 5 years ago so it was a sweet remembrance. Then we headed to Spanish Plaza for Brian Kern’s Halfway to Halloween Dance-Off.

Oyster Fest 2017

The rain held off for the first day of the 8th annual New Orleans Oyster Festival in Woldenberg Park. I’ve attended every year for the live music, food booths, local artists (most of whom have oyster-inspired pieces of art, housewares and jewelry) and food demonstrations. Like many of our festivals, the event is meant to give back to the local community – this time through several non-profits aimed at coastal restoration. They provided oyster shell recycling bins to help build coastal reefs – so even throwing away your trash properly helped the coastline.

Living in New Orleans – the first 5 years

My family is from Louisiana for generations on both sides but my path home was winding. After living in Maryland, Washington D.C., Japan, Alabama, New York and Los Angeles, I finally moved to New Orleans in late 2009. And I’ve never been happier. When I got here, the Saints were on their way to winning the Superbowl and the city was vibrating with optimism. Most of the people who would come home after the Storm were back. Katrina money was being spent on street repairs and schools were getting instruments from places like Tipitina’s Foundation. Buildings, homes, t-shirts and more exclaimed, “Believe” and “Renew, Rebuild, Rebirth.” It was intoxicating.

Oyster Fest 2013

After a week in Los Angeles, it was good to get back in time for the 4th New Orleans Oyster Festival. I feel a special connection to this fest because I’ve attended every year since its inception. Having made the move to the riverside Woldenberg Park last year (from a ridiculously scorching blacktop parking lot), the fest continues to expand and evolve. The stage was moved to the downtown side of the park and Drago’s super-long line for chargrilled oysters was given its own space away from the other crowded food booths. 

NOLA in a Week (Mom’s Visit)

There’s nothing like having a visitor to push you to take advantage of the city as much as possible in a week. My mom  and stepdad came to town and we went to 2 festivals, a number of concerts, a bunch of restaurants and plenty of cool shops. We even visited the set of Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. If you’re planning to visit New Orleans or if you’re a New Orleanian looking for some ideas of how to entertain your guests, here are some highlights from our week.

Oyster Fest 2012

Thank you New Orleans Oyster Fest for moving from that aggressively hot blacktop parking lot to the breezy, grassy Woldenberg Park! The festival, including the artists booths and many wonderful food selections, was much more spread out this year and the crowd for the stage was manageable, like the very-local Thursday crowd at French Quarter rather than the jam-packed Saturdays and Sundays. It almost made me nostalgic for the times before the Saints Superbowl win and HBO’s Treme helped remake the city’s image. 

Irma Thomas – Oyster Fest Day 2

“Soul Queen of New Orleans,” Irma Thomas, took the stage to end the 2nd annual Oyster Fest. Though it was cooler than Day 1, I sincerely hope that the organizers find their way to Armstrong Park or some other grassy field before next year. Even with cloudy skies and the sun setting, heat radiated from the blacktop. But, the large crowd (and DancingMan504) could have cared less – Irma was going to sing us off the surface of the sun and into the heavens and we couldn’t wait.

Oyster Fest 2011 – Day 1

The second annual Oyster Fest had plenty of improvements over last year’s premiere but the same nagging problem at its core – who holds a raw seafood fest on blacktop in 95 degree weather? Organizers provided the misting tent so popular last year and added several tented areas for eating at tables in the shade.