A record year–in spades–for this year’s French Quarter Festival: the 31st annual French Quarter Festival presented by Chevron attendance figures, as reported by organizers,  indicate that nearly 733,000 festival-goers enjoyed the music, food, special events and the historic French Quarter.

This year's French Quarter Fest blew away previous attendance records. (Photo by: Stephen Maloney)

This is over a 30 percent increase  over 2013, when approximately 560,000 fans attended the event, and well over attendance at previous French Quarter Fest events.

Attendance numbers are calculated based on actual counts (that are adjusted down by percentage to account for repeat entrances and exits). Fess, Inc. Security counts at entry and exit points of major stages.

This number does not include attendance at the festival’s Royal, Bourbon, Chartres, Decatur and French Market stages, Battle of the Bands, Dancing at Dusk, Cathedral Concert, and other special events.

Rouses had record sales at French Quarter Festival 2014, selling over 40,000 pounds of boiled crawfish and over 5,000 servings of their Crawfish Boil Boudin. Beers sales were also up:festival sponsor Abita Beer reported 905 kegs (up from 632 in 2013) and over 800 cases of beer. Progressive Waste Solutions reported 210 tons of garbage from the festival grounds this year, and Pelican Ice delivered 236,160 pounds of ice– up from 200,000 pounds in 2013.

French Quarter Fest–without a doubt–has proven itself to be a mover and shaker in New Orleans spring festival arena.

Catch photos by OffBeat’s Stephen Maloney from this year’s festival here.