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Archive for 2012

2012 Satchmo SummerFest featuring Traditional Jazz and Brass Bands, Great Local Food, and a host of Special Events

Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

The premiere American Jazz Festival dedicated to the life, legacy, and music of New Orleans’ native son, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, will take place August 3 – 5 at the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint. This weekend-long celebration will feature traditional jazz, contemporary jazz, and brass bands comprised of New Orleans’ most talented musicians.

Live, Local Music, Free Dance Lessons, and Indoor Family Activities
Satchmo SummerFest 2012 music lineup includes Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, Preservation Hall-Stars, Yoshio Toyama and the Dixie Saints, Leroy Jones and New Orleans’ Finest, Treme Funktet featuring Corey Henry and Travis Hill, Don Vappie & The Creole Jazz Serenaders, Wendell Brunious, The Original Pinnettes Brass Band, The New Orleans Moonshiners, and many more.
Between musical sets, dancers of all levels can take lessons from New Orleans’ well-known dance teachers at the Cornet Chop Suey Stage Saturday and Sunday of the festival. Swing and Charleston dance lessons are open and free to the public and are taught and sponsored by NOLA Jitterbugs.

Throughout the day, children and parents can relax indoors on the second floor of the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint with an array of educational, entertaining children’s activities, “Satchmo on Film” for kids, and exhibits. The “Satchmo for Kids’” area features a variety of activities for kids to enjoy including a Satchmo collage project, a second-line umbrella creation station, coconut decorating with the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club’s “Junior Zulus,” and the Jazz National Historic Park’s Junior Rangers program.

While inside, visitors can also enjoy the Louisiana State Museum’s exhibit, “Preservation Hall at 50.” The exhibit is a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Preservation Hall through artifacts, photographs, posters, handbills, flyers, newspaper articles, phonograph records, film and audio clips, interviews, and oral histories. In addition, items from the museum’s jazz collection are on display, including Louis Armstrong’s first cornet. The exhibit and children’s area are free and open to the public during the festival weekend.

Satchmo SummerFest hosts diverse and exciting offerings from great New Orleans restaurants and welcomes new additions to the festival menu options. This year, the festival introduces Lakeside Harbor and Mona’s Café to Red Bean Alley, and welcomes back Plum Street SnoBalls and Cool Fruit Sensations and their refreshing fresh squeezed juices and teas with the option to add Absolut Vodka or Avion Tequila to any drink. The festival also debuts Avion Frozen Margaritas, Lipton Green Tea, and Gatorade at the beverage booths.

Special Events
In addition to a weekend full of great music, food, seminars, movies, and children’s activities, Satchmo SummerFest features an array of special events including the annual Jazz Mass at the historic St. Augustine Church in Treme, a traditional second line parade, and the annual ‘Trumpet Tribute’ which closes the festival Sunday night with a Satchmo birthday party.

A complete list of the music schedule, special events, and festival menus are attached below or visit the Satchmo SummerFest website at www.satchmosummerfest.com for more information.

About French Quarter Festivals, Inc.
Satchmo SummerFest is produced by French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (www.fqfi.org), the 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, which also produces French Quarter Festival in April and Christmas New Orleans Style! in December. French Quarter Festivals, Inc. promotes the Vieux Carré and the City of New Orleans through high quality special events and activities that showcase the culture and heritage of this unique city, contribute to the economic well-being of the community, and instill increased pride in the people of New Orleans.

Satchmo SummerFest 2012 – Music Schedule

Please note: In partnership with NOLA Jitterbugs, FREE dance lessons will be offered on Saturday and Sunday during Satchmo SummerFest (see schedule for details). Fun for novices and experienced dancers! All dance lessons will take place at the Old U.S. Mint at the Cornet Chop Suey Stage.

Saturday, August 4th

Red Beans & Ricely Yours Stage presented by WWLTV
12:00-1:00 Jesse McBride Presents the Next Generation
1:15-2:15 Lars Edegran’s Ragtime Orchestra featuring Lionel Ferbos
2:30-3:30 Treme Brass Band
3:45-4:45 Yoshio Toyama & the Dixie Saints
5:00-6:15 Preservation Hall-Stars
6:30-8:00 Treme Funktet featuring Corey Henry and Travis Hill

Cornet Chop Suey Stage presented by OffBeat
11:40-12:00 Dance Lessons
12:00-1:00 Connie Jones and the Crescent City All Stars
1:15-2:15 Harmonouche featuring Norbert Slama
2:15 -2:45 Dance Lessons
2:45-3:45 The New Orleans Moonshiners
4:00-5:00 Delfeayo Marsalis & The Uptown Jazz Orchestra
5:15-6:30 Big Chief Bo Dollis, Jr. and the Wild Magnolias
6:45-8:00 Stooges Brass Band

Sunday August 5th

Red Beans & Ricely Yours Stage presented by WWLTV
12:00-1:00 Clive Wilson’s Satchmo Serenade
1:15-2:15 Palmetto Bug Stompers
2:30-3:30 New Birth Brass Band
3:45-4:45 Leroy Jones and New Orleans’ Finest
5:00-6:15 Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony
6:30-7:30 Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers
7:30-8:00 Trumpet Tribute to Louis Armstrong (with Kermit Ruffins)

Cornet Chop Suey Stage presented by OffBeat
12:00-1:00 Paulin Brothers Brass Band
1:15-2:15 Kid Merv and All that Jazz
2:15-2:45 Dance Lessons
2:45-3:45 Don Vappie & The Creole Jazz Serenaders
4:00-5:00 The Ritz-Carlton presents Jeremy Davenport
5:00-5:30 Dance Lessons
5:30-6:30 Wendell Brunious
6:45-7:45 The Original Pinnettes Brass Band

Satchmo SummerFest 2012 Event Schedule
Satchmo SummerFest 2012 – Special Events Schedule

Thursday, August 2nd
The Hotel Monteleone
$65 per person
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Opening Reception
7:00 p.m. – Keynote Conversation with Michael Cogswell

Keynote Conversation –“Our Love is Here to Stay”: Louis Armstrong through the Centuries. Today, Louis Armstrong is properly revered as an American Cultural icon. Satchmo SummerFest, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and the Louis Armstrong House Museum are merely three indicators of this reverence. But it wasn’t always so. In this keynote address, Michael Cogswell, Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in New York City, explores perceptions of Armstrong throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The address includes rare and unique images and recordings from the Museum’s collections.

Friday, August 3rd
Armstrong Park Birthday Party

10 a.m. – Armstrong Park is located on Rampart Street at St. Ann
Celebrate the 111th anniversary of the birth of New Orleans’ native son, Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong. The event will take place at the foot of the Armstrong Statue in Armstrong Park. Enter at the St. Ann gate on North Rampart Street. Enjoy cake and refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.

Saturday, August 4th and Sunday, August 5th
Free Dance Lessons at Satchmo SummerFest!

Dance lessons for all ages will take place in between sets, Saturday and Sunday, at the Cornet Chop Suey Stage during Satchmo SummerFest. They are fun to participate in, or just observe! Dance lessons are sponsored by nolajitterbugs.com and are taught by NOLA Jitterbugs. Festival goers will learn how to swing and the Charleston.

Sunday, August 5th
Jazz Mass at St. Augustine Church, followed by traditional second line parade

10 a.m. – St. Augustine Church is located at 1210 Gov. Nicholls Street in Treme
Arrive early! Standing room only event
Celebrate the 12th annual Satchmo SummerFest, featuring the Treme Brass Band – a unique Sunday morning music ministry at the church of Sidney Bechet. At 11:30 a.m., following mass, join the ‘Satchmo Salute’ Second Line Parade featuring Grand Marshall Boe Monkey Red, Jennifer Jones, Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, Million Dollar Baby Dolls, Dumaine Street Gang, Sudan Social Aid and Pleasure Club, Undefeated Divas, TBC (To Be Continued) Brass Band, Baby Boyz Brass Band, and more. Sponsored by Rhodes Funeral Home.

Trumpet Tribute and Birthday Party featuring Kermit Ruffins
7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Closeout the celebration with a song of Happy Birthday to jazz’s most beloved musician, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. The trumpet tribute will feature Kermit Ruffins and is located at the “Red Beans and Ricely Yours” Stage. Don’t forget to stay for free cupcakes and slices of cake courtesy of Buttermilk Drop Bakery.

Satchmo SummerFest Menu

Amy’s Vietnamese Cuisine
Pork & Shrimp Spring Roll – 1 for $3 / 2 for $5
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken with Vermicelli Noodles – $8
Grilled Salmon with Jasmine Rice & Spring Mix – $10
Crawfish Egg Rolls – $3

Buttermilk Drop Bakery and Café
Macaroni & Cheese – $5
Chicken Wings – $5
Beignets – $5
Buttermilk Drops – $2

Cool Fruit Sensations
Fresh Squeezed Juiced and Teas with cocktail option to add Absolut Vodka or Avion Tequila to any drink
16 oz: $5 traditional or $8 cocktail
32 oz: $8 traditional or $11 cocktail
Lemonade, Blueberry Lemonade, Pineapple Lemonade, Watermelon Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Lemon/Lime, Blueberry Lime, Pineapple Lime, Watermelon Lime, Strawberry Lime, Arnold Palmer (Half Lemonade/Half Tea), Blueberry Lemon Tea, Pineapple Lemon Tea, Watermelon Lemon Tea, Strawberry Lemon Tea

Crêpes à la Cart
Tomato Basil & Mozzarella Crêpe – $6
Tomato Basil, Mozzarella & Bacon Crêpe – $7
Bananas & Nutella Crêpe – $6
Speculoos Crêpe – $5

Hard Rock Café
Grilled Burger or Grilled Cheeseburger with Chips – $6
BBQ Shrimp Po Boy – $7
Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich – $6

Lakeview Harbor
Crawfish Bread – $6
Alligator Sausage Kebab – $5

Mona’s Café
Gyro Sandwich – $6
Falafel Sandwich – $6
Hummus & Pita – $4
Combo Platter: Gyro or Falafel with Salad & Hummus – $10

Oceana Grill
Blackened Catfish Po-Boy – $5
Fried Softshell Crab Po-Boy – $5

Palmer’s Cuisine
Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Rice & Veggies – $7
Caribbean Fish with Rice & Veggies – $7
Creole Jambalaya – $6
Homemade Sweet Potato Pie – $4

Plum Street Snoballs
Assorted Flavors – $3 / $4
Sugar Free – $4 / $5
Add Condensed Milk – $1

Ralph & Kacoo’s
Cajun Pasta – $5
Jambalaya – $5
Bread Pudding – $5

Royal House
Oyster Pattie with Fried Oyster and Crystal Buerre Blanc – $5
Crawfish Cakes over Seasoned Rice with Crawfish Cream Sauce – $7

Saltwater Grill
Crawfish & Spinach Boat – $7
Shrimp & Cheddar Bacon Grits – $6
Duck Debris PoBoy – $6
Shrimp Remoulade – $5

The Praline Connection
Vegetarian Mustard Greens & Red Beans & Rice – $6
Fried Chicken Wings with Mustard Greens or Red Beans & Rice – $7
Cheesecake with Praline Sauce – $4
Pralines – $2

Vaucresson Sausage Co.
Creole Hot Sausage Po-Boy or on a Stick – $6 / $5
Creole Crawfish Sausage Po-Boy or on a Stick – $6 / $5
BBQ Chicken Sausage Po-Boy or on a Stick – $6 / $5


Satchmo SummerFest Presents Seminars at the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint

Monday, July 23rd, 2012

Fascinating seminars discuss the life, legacy, and music of Louis Armstrong

The premiere American Jazz Festival dedicated to the life, legacy, and music of New Orleans’ native son, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, will take place August 3 – 5 at the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint. An impressive array of speakers will present seminars, discussions, music, and movies about the history of New Orleans Jazz and the life and music of Louis Armstrong. Enlightening presentations, discussions, and performances will be given by Richard Havers co-producer of Satchmo – a comprehensive box set of Louis Armstrong recordings, Ricky Riccardi author of What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years, Jason Harrelson of Harrelson Trumpets, and many more.

Satchmo SummerFest Keynote Speaker, Michael Cogswell, will open the seminar presentations with a Keynote Address. Cogswell’s presentation will explore the perceptions of Louis Armstrong through the 20th and 21st centuries. The address will also include rare and unique images and recordings from the Museum’s collections and offer insight on how Armstrong became the icon he is today.

Cogswell is the Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in New York City and author of Louis Armstrong: The Offset Story of Satchmo (Collectors Press, 2003). In 1991, Queens College hired Cogswell to arrange and catalog the vast collections of Louis Armstrong’s home-recorded tapes, scrapbooks, photographs, manuscripts, trumpets, and other personal items. The Louis Armstrong Archives has grown to include six collections and houses the world’s largest archive for a single jazz musician. In 1995, Cogswell administered the nine-year, two million dollar project to open the Louis Armstrong House Museum, a national historic landmark and a New York City landmark, as a historic house museum. The Louis Armstrong House opened to the public in 2003 and is a popular destination for tourists, school groups, musicians, and jazz lovers. It is the only national landmark for a jazz musician that is completely authentic and open to the public six days per week, 52 weeks per year.

Michael has made several presentations about Louis Armstrong in cities across the United States and Europe. He has also appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air, ABC-TV’s Nightline, and CBS Sunday Morning.

The Opening Reception and Keynote Address at the Hotel Monteleone will take place August 2 at 5:30 p.m. Reception tickets are $65 per person and are available for sale. Please call the French Quarter Festivals, Inc. office at (504) 522-5730 to purchase tickets.

Seminars at the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint are scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, August 3; 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, August 4; and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, August 5. Seminars are free and open to the public. For a complete list of the seminar schedule and speakers see the attached schedule below or visit the website www.satchmosummerfest.com.

Satchmo SummerFest 2012 – Seminar Schedule

2012 Satchmo SummerFest Seminars will take place at The Louisiana State Museum’s Old US Mint
Made possible by Louis Armstrong Education Foundation

Friday, August 3rd
1pm – My Friend Satchmo – Part 1
Jazz educator, historian and Gully Low Jazz Band leader and tuba man David Ostwald interviews NEA Jazz Master Dan Morgenstern about his long friendship with Louis Armstrong – with key points in their conversation enhanced by audio and images supplied by Armstrong House archivist and jazz scholar Ricky Riccardi.

2pm – Satchmo’s Gear
Trumpeter and custom trumpet designer and builder Jason Harrelson of Harrelson Trumpets – talks about the trumpets and mouthpieces used by Louis Armstrong – and how Jason believes they affected Armstrong’s sound. Jason has played the trumpet for years and founded Harrelson Trumpets when he was just twenty years old. He started by modifying student horns and selling them to friends. Harrelson then began to offer custom modifications for a few select customers, and his reputation grew. Jason is known for bringing new technology and exciting designs to his instruments.

3pm – Gleanings from the Groove: The Exciting Music of the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band
Library of Congress archivist and outstanding jazz trombonist David Sager presents a multi-media examination of the seminal role and continued importance of the early recordings of the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band, which featured Louis Armstrong as second cornet, in his first recorded performances.

4pm - Cinematic Satch – with Ricky Riccardi – Louis Armstrong On Television
If ever there was a medium invented for Louis Armstrong, it was television. In his years studying the trumpeter, Ricky Riccardi has amassed a large collection of Armstrong’s television appearances, including rare treasures from Armstrong’s many visits to television talk shows. Join him for this special session as he screens some footage unseen since it was originally broadcast.

Saturday, August 4th
2pm – My Friend Satchmo – Part 2
Louis Armstrong House Museum Director Michael Cogswell interviews Armstrong House Museum board member and businessman Stephen Maitland-Lewis about his long friendship with Louis Armstrong – which began when Stephen was a youngster in the UK.

3pm – Digital Satchmo

Critically acclaimed British music writer and producer Richard Havers – and jazz pianist, archivist and historian Ricky Riccardi – who collaborated on last year’s widely praised ‘Satchmo: Louis Armstrong – Ambassador of Jazz’ 10-cd boxed set retrospective of Louis Armstrong’s recording career – discuss Universal’s forthcoming digital-only set of previously unreleased Armstrong material. The new recordings are being released in honor of the 2012 Satchmo SummerFest.

4pm – String Bands, Hawaii and Satchmo
New Orleans guitarist and banjoist Seva Venet and a five piece string band present an ‘informance’ about the impact of New Orleans string bands – and Hawaiian music – on early jazz and the music of Louis Armstrong.

5pm – Cinematic Satch – with Ricky Riccardi – Louis Armstrong in Europe
In his years as America’s “Ambassador of Goodwill,” Louis Armstrong enjoyed a special relationship with his European fans. Join Ricky Riccardi, author of ‘What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years,’ as he screens rare Armstrong performances from the 1930s through the 1960s, filmed in Denmark, Germany, Amsterdam, England and more.

Sunday, August 5th
1pm – Dipper and the Kid
Jazz historian John McCusker talks about the influence of trombonist Kid Ory on the development of Louis Armstrong in New Orleans, and their relationship, which stretched from 1913 until Satchmo’s death in 1971. John McCusker’s biography of Kid Ory, ‘Creole Trombone: Kid Ory and the Early Years of Jazz’ will be published by the University Press of Mississippi on October 2, 2012.

2pm – New Orleans Style and the Writing of American Jazz History
Tulane University Director of Special Collections and Hogan Jazz Archive Curator, Bruce Raeburn, talks about his recent book ‘New Orleans Style and the Writing of American Jazz History’ with award-winning radio producer and interviewer Fred Kasten.

3pm – Recording Satchmo
Armstrong House Trustee, attorney, and band leader David Ostwald interviews NEA Jazz Master and legendary producer George Avakian about his remarkable recording sessions with Louis Armstrong – with key points in their conversation enhanced by audio and images supplied by jazz archivist and Armstrong scholar Ricky Riccardi.

4pm -Pops in England
British writer and producer Richard Havers shares great anecdotes about Satchmo ‘across the pond’ – touching on Louis Armstrong’s tours of England in the 1930’s and post WWII.

5pm – Cinematic Satch – with Ricky Riccardi – Louis Armstrong On Film
Throughout his long career, Louis Armstrong appeared in over 30 major feature films. Louis Armstrong House Museum Archivist Ricky Riccardi will screen some highlights from Armstrong’s film career, from well-known Hollywood blockbusters like “High Society” and “The Five Pennies” to rarely seen entries such as “Satchmo the Great” and the European film “Saluti e Baci.”


2012 Official Satchmo SummerFest Poster

Monday, July 23rd, 2012

Celebrating Louis Armstrong through his art

Satchmo SummerFest will premiere a triptych selection of original collages by Louis Armstrong from the collections of the Louis Armstrong House Museum Archives. The three collages display several personal aspects of Armstrong’s life. While on the road and at home in Corona, New York, Louis Armstrong would spend hours talking into a reel to reel tape, recording stories from his career and private life. Armstrong’s love for the arts inspired him to decorate the leftover reel to reel tape boxes with personal photographs, newspaper clippings, movie stills, handwritten letters, cards, telegrams, and other items he collected throughout his life. The triptych Louis Armstrong collages are a limited edition silkscreen print and will be on sale at the merchandise booth during Satchmo SummerFest.

Armstrong-inspired King Cake Baby Pendants from Molly McNamara Designs (local artist) will also make its debut to the merchandise line. The pewter pendants are $30 and include a chain and a brief history of the New Orleans King Cake and Baby. Other merchandise will be available for sale at the festival and online including Satchmo SummerFest shirts, hats, and neck coolers.

A complete list of all 2012 Satchmo SummerFest merchandise follows. For more information about Satchmo SummerFest call (504) 522-5730 or visit the website www.satchmosummerfest.com.


Satchmo Trumpet Auction – 2012 Satchmo SummerFest

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

Harrelson Trumpets one-of-a-kind Satchmo trumpetIn honor of the 2012 Satchmo SummerFest, custom trumpet builder Jason Harrelson, of Harrelson Trumpets, is donating this one-of-a-kind Satchmo trumpet that he personally designed and built. French Quarter Festivals, Inc. will partner with New Orleans’ own Neal Auction Company for an exciting auction event which will feature the Harrelson Satchmo Trumpet. Proceeds will benefit the non-profit French Quarter Festivals, Inc. and Satchmo SummerFest. Harrelson Trumpets has collectors all over the world, and local favorites Kermit Ruffins and Shamarr Allen both play Harrelson trumpets. The auction will be open to bidders around the world, but we hope that this horn might end up in the hands of one of our great New Orleans musicians!

For more information about the auction, including how to bid or attend, contact Marci at French Quarter Festivals 504-522-5730 or e-mail marci@fqfi.org

THE SATCHMO TRUMPET WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT SATCHMO SUMMERFEST!


Check out the Satchmo SummerFest Music, Food, Special events and Seminars.

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

Lectures begin August 3rd at the Louisiana State Museum’s OLD U.S. Mint in the French Quarter
Music and Food begin August 4th – 5th at the Louisiana State Museum’s OLD U.S. Mint  in the French Quarter

Music all weekend on festival stages featuring traditional jazz, contemporary jazz, brass bands & children’s programming. A sampling of performers who play the festival include Leroy Jones, Jeremy Davenport, Connie Jones’ Crescent City Jazz Band, Yoshio Toyama and the Dixie Saints, The Palmetto Bug Stompers, Shamarr Allen, Rebirth Brass Band, Tim Laughlin, Soul Rebels, Treme Brass Band, Leah Chase, James Andrews, Lars Edegran’s New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park programming for kids, & more! View the 2012 Satchmo SummerFest Music Schedule

Join us Fri., Sat. & Sun. during the festival for free seminars & discussions, featuring a host of speakers, including recording industry icon George Avakian (Armstrong’s producer & friend); Michael Cogswell of the Armstrong House & Archives; noted Armstrong scholar and winner of multiple Grammy Awards Dan Morgenstern; writer and Armstrong film collector Ricky Riccardi; Yoshio Toyoma, aka ‘Satchmo of Japan,’ who also performs with his Dixie Saints; & many other sessions with educational & entertaining speakers who knew or were inspired by Louis Armstrong. View the 2012 Satchmo SummerFest Seminar Schedule

Special Events: Louis Armstrong Birthday Party, Satchmo Art Show, kids’ activities and entertainment, Sunday morning Jazz Mass at historic St. Augustine Church in Treme, a traditional second line parade, a Trumpet Tribute to close the festival, the Satchmo Club Strut, & more! View the 2012 Satchmo SummerFest Special Events Schedule

Food & Drinks: Featuring Abita – ‘the local beer for the locals’ festival’ – Plum Street Snoballs, and ‘Red Bean Alley’ – New Orleans restaurants serving up fabulous New Orleans cuisine and dishes that Louis Armstrong loved. View the 2012 Satchmo SummerFest Food and Drink Menu

View the 2012 Satchmo SummerFest Festival Merchandise


French Quarter Festival 2012 Success

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

Locals’ Lagniappe Day exceeds all expectations. Locals and visitors from around the world enjoyed picture perfect weather, the best of New Orleans music, food, and the historic French Quarter.

2012 French Quarter Festival App received more downloads than any other app developed by Applitite.

April 12-15 marked the 29th anniversary of French Quarter Festival presented by Capital One Bank. This year’s attendance figures indicate that approximately 574,000* festival-goers enjoyed the music, food, special events and of course, the historic French Quarter.

The new opening day of Festival, dubbed ‘Locals’ Lagniappe Day’, on Thursday, April 12th ran for a full day and enjoyed very strong attendance. Even Friday the 13th didn’t deter festival goers as numbers for Friday rivaled past Saturday attendance figures.

The 2012 French Quarter Festival featured iPhone and Android phone apps, which were available free of charge, courtesy of Capital One Bank. The app’s developer, Philip Berman of Applitite, informed festival organizers today that the 2012 app received more downloads than any other festiva app he has developed (clients include the Chicago Blues Festival, Taste of Chicago, Chicago International Film Festival, and New Orleans Voodoo Experience. Over 25,000 apps were downloaded for the 2012 festival and the Android app garnered a 4 ½ star rating and the iPhone a 4- star rating – very high by App industry standards. Applitite LLC was founded in Chicago in January 2009 by Philip Berman. Application clients include retail, manufacturing, healthcare, games, events and the entertainment industry.

The award-winning festival, which began in 1984, has grown to become the largest free music festival in the South. A record 22 music stages throughout the French Quarter presented the best in New Orleans music, representing every genre from traditional and contemporary jazz to R & B and New Orleans funk, brass bands, folk, gospel, classical, cabaret, opera, Cajun Zydeco, Latin World, International, as well as a musical stage for children. Over 90 food and beverage booths located in Jackson Square, Woldenberg Riverfront Park and the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint made up the “World’s Largest Jazz Brunch,” a signature event featuring authentic local cuisine from renowned area restaurants, many of whom have been with the Festival throughout its entire 29-year history.

FQFI officials worked with Capital One Bank and Hotard to continue free shuttle service to the festival for a third year. Free to ride all weekend, Capital One sponsored the ‘Second Line Shuttle’, which was routed from the Central Business District to Canal Street. To accommodate festival goers both Saturday and Sunday, the New Orleans Police Department closed down most streets of the French Quarter to traffic – ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for locals and visitors alike. Fest goers enjoyed walking in the streets and enjoying the historic neighborhood. Very few events in the City are afforded such a traffic closure. New Orleans Police provided strong support throughout the weekend, alongside the Guardian Angels and Fess Security.

French Quarter Festival relies on strong community support to present the ‘kickoff to festival season in New Orleans’ – with over 2,000 volunteers, over 260 musical acts, numerous generous sponsors – including the New Orleans Musicians Union AFM Local 174-496, corporations from all over the state who sponsor musical acts at festival, New Orleans Police and Fire Departments, EMS, permitting assistance from the City of New Orleans and partnerships with Parks and Parkways, Audubon Institute and the Louisiana State Museum, among others.

Over 700 guests attended the festival’s kickoff party: ‘TGIF’ – Thank Goodness it’s Festival! – at the House of Blues. Festival goers attended a variety of free special events throughout the weekend, including the return of the fireworks (absent since 2005), a new lecture series, ‘Let them Talk: Conversations on Louisiana Music’; free dance lessons at three stages; two children’s areas with music and activities at the Audubon Aquarium riverfront plaza and the courtyard of the Hermann-Grima House Museum; a Pirate’s Alley Juried Art Show; Rouses World Championship Crawfish Eating Contest; Battle of the Bands; and Sunday’s ‘Dancing at Dusk’, which filled the 400 block of Royal Street and beyond with dancers.

Festival Sponsors for the 29th annual French Quarter Festival as of February 9, 2012 include: Capital One Bank (Presenting Sponsor), Abita Brewing Company, Pepsi, WWL-TV, Absolut Vodka, Malibu Rum, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Woodbridge Wines, Tropical Isle, Rouses Market, Harrah’s Foundation, French Market Corporation, Chevron, New TUMS Freshers, Louisiana Office of Tourism, The Greater New Orleans Buick/GMC Dealerships, City of New Orleans, The Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation, Rick’s 315 Bourbon, Musician’s Performance Fund, PJ’s Coffee and Tea of New Orleans, nola.com, Louisiana Lottery, House of Blues, Hotel Monteleone, United Airlines, Pat O’s on the River, Hard Rock Café, Windsor Court Hotel, BMI, Court of Two Sisters, Tulane Medical Center, Tulane Hospital for Children at Tulane Medical Center, Hermann Grima House, Applitite, Musical Legends Park, Red Bull, New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park, Rolland Lock and Safe, Pelican Ice, SDT, OffBeat Magazine, Where Y’at Magazine, New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, NOLA Jitterbugs, NOTV, NOLA Baby & Family Magazine, Preservation Hall, The Historic New Orleans Collection, St. Louis Cathedral, Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, I.T.S. Fire Alarm Security, NewOrleans.com, Louisiana Cookin’, TRS, Kids and Family New Orleans, IntheKnowla.com, Where Magazine, Nola Baby and Family, Curve Magazine, Ambush Magazine, The Vinyl District, New Orleans Magazine, Louisiana Life Magazine, Acadian Profile, MyNewOrleans.com, St. Charles Avenue Magazine, New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles, WRNO, WWNO, 96.1 The River, 101.5 WYNK, 102.5 WFMF, 1150AM WJOB, B97, Bayou 95.7, Magic 101.9, KCIL, KXOR, and KJIN.


  French Quarter Festivals, Inc.
400 North Peters Street • Suite 205 New Orleans, LA 70130 • (504) 522-5730 • (800) 673-5725 • Fax (504) 522-5711 • Email
Showcasing New Orleans Culture and Heritage since 1984
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