The greatness of Mardi Gras draws so much from the rich melting pot of music found here in Louisiana. The 7th annual Baton Rouge Mardi Gras festival is one of many celebrations during the Carnival season dedicated to diverse and electrifying performances by many local artists. From blues, soul, R&B, reggae, Latin and gypsy jazz, pop and rock to spoken word and comedy performances, this year’s festival is a colorful catalog of Louisiana music that will surely be captivating.

This year’s event is presented by Henry Turner Jr’s Listening Room Museum Foundation, and will include performances by many of The Listening Room All-Stars including N’Spire, Wyanda Paul, Lee Tyme, Xavie Shorts, Larry “LZ” Dillon, and comedian Eddie “Cool” Deemer. Alongside these local favorites will be Henry Turner Jr. & Flavor — known for their syncopated rhythms of blues, soul, reggae and funk; Smokehouse Porter and Miss Mamie — known as the King and Queen of the Gut Bucket Blues; Clarence “PieMan” Williams and Pastor Leon Hitchens. However, the grooving doesn’t end there.

Touring acts include KK & the Reverend Blues Revival from Arkansas, King Baby from Houston, Young In A Million from Nashville, Jessi Campo from Miami, with Geovane Santos and Urban Gypsy heading in from New Orleans. In addition, Emanuel Casablanca will bring a string of surprise guests from New York and DJ Teddy “Lloyd” Johnson of Teddy’s Juke Joint will be spinning his magic. 

The festival will be held Saturday, February 22, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at North Boulevard Town Square. On top of soul grooving music, there will be delicious Louisiana food available at the food court alongside a vendor’s village. It’s a family friendly event free to the public with ample lawn seating, and clearly there will be no shortage of incredible music from a variety of different artists and genres to celebrate the Carnival season. For more information, click here.