January 6, 2009 – New Orleans, LA -  New Orleans Magazine announced their readers picks of ‘New Orleans Best’ in the January issue of their magazine.

As it was chosen by the people and reported by the magazine:

Best Festival:
1.    French Quarter Festival. It’s free – and the music is all local
2.    Jazz & Heritage Festival
3.    Voodoo Fest

Best local event open to the public:
1. French Quarter Fest. A great warm up for Jazz Fest, as though that required warming up
2. Mardi Gras

With just 100 days to go, preparations are underway for French Quarter Festival 2009, which will celebrate 26 years of showcasing the finest music, food and culture this uniquely New Orleans event has to offer. The award-winning festival is a favorite of locals and tourists alike and is the largest free music festival in the South. It was recently named a Top 10 Event by New Orleans CityBusiness Newspaper and is a Top 20 Destination according to AAA and the Southeast Tourism Society. French Quarter Festival attracts approximately 435,000 fans and generates an economic impact of more than $149 million.

According to Marci Schramm, Executive Director of French Quarter Festivals, Inc., “We were thrilled by the incredible attendance last year and look forward to celebrating our 26th festival in the beautiful setting of our French Quarter.  We rely on New Orleans businesses, musicians, the city and tourism industry, as well as our philanthropic community to help us engage the entire city.  Citizens truly come together to create this special festival each year.”

Over 18 stages in prime locations throughout the French Quarter present over 250 hours of the best music New Orleans has to offer with 450 musicians representing every genre from traditional and contemporary jazz to rhythm & blues and New Orleans funk, to brass bands, folk, gospel, Latin, classical and international music.  More than 70 food and beverage booths located in Jackson Square, Woldenberg Riverfront Park and the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint will feature authentic local cuisine from the area’s finest restaurants.

French Quarter Festival is produced by French Quarter Festivals, Inc., (FQFI) the 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization which also produces Satchmo SummerFest in August and Christmas New Orleans Style in December.

For more information on FQF26, call 504-522-5730 or visit online at www.fqfi.org.

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