This year’s French Quarter Festival will start on Thursday, April 7 this year, a day earlier than in previous years. The free festival that takes over Bourbon Street, Decatur Street, Jackson Square and Woldenberg Park has traditionally held its gala—”TGIF: Thank Goodness it’s Festival”—on the Thursday night with entertainment and the World’s Largest Jazz Brunch starting on Friday at lunch time. This year, the Jackson Square stage and the Jackson Square portion of the World’s Largest Jazz Brunch will be open from noon until 5 p.m., and three stages at Woldenberg Park and the accompanying food vendors will be up and running from 3-7 p.m.

“We are extremely honored that our festival has been embraced by so many people over the past few years following Hurricane Katrina,” says Marci Schramm, Executive Director of French Quarter Festivals, Inc. “We continue to make operational changes that are designed to greatly improve the quality of the festival experience for everyone. To that end, we are proud to announce the addition of an extra day to the schedule; a little something we like to call ‘Local Lagniappe,’ that we hope will be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.”

The talent lineup and food vendors for the festival, which runs from April 7-10, have yet to be announced.