French Quarter Festival has unveiled the lineup for its 33rd annual event. The announcement came this morning during a press conference in Jackson Square. As usual, the festival will take place on 23 stages located throughout New Orleans’ historic French Quarter, and will be free and open to the public.
Woldenburg Park during French Quarter Fest 2009.
Scheduled for Thursday, April 7 to Sunday, April 10, this year’s festival will feature performances by Louisiana favorites like Irma Thomas, Raw Oyster Cult, Honey Island Swamp Band, Paul Sanchez, Astral Project, Amanda Shaw, Flow Tribe, Dash Rip Rock, Bonerama, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ellis Marsalis, Sweet Crude, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Benny Grunch and the Bunch, the New Orleans Suspects, Kermit Ruffins & The Barbecue Swingers, Deacon John, The Revelers, John Boutte, Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes and many more.
2016 will see a number of top notch artists make their French Quarter Festival debut, including Cowboy Mouth, Sonny Landreth, Buckwheat Zydeco, Michael “Soulman” Batiste and a comedy troupe called Goat in the Road. There will also be a kick-off parade, three days of film programming at La Petit Theatre courtesy of Timecode: NOLA, dance lessons, a Battle of the Bands and many more activities during the fest.
The 2016 French Quarter Festival poster by Isabel Jacopin.
A ticketed after-party will be held on Friday, April 8 at the House of Blues. The show will pay tribute the late Allen Toussaint, and will feature a number of performances by special guests. Proceeds from the party will go to New Orleans Artists Against Hunger and Homelessness, a non-profit that was co-founded by Toussaint.
While the festival itself is entirely free, fans will still have the opporunity to purchase plenty of merchandise. Longtime OffBeat readers will be happy to know that this year’s offical t-shirt has been designed by acclaimed local artist and former OffBeat editor Bunny Matthews.
Additionally, the festival has confirmed that it will once again host “The World’s Largest Jazz Brunch,” a showcase of over 60 local restaurants. Vendors at this years event include Antonine’s, Praline Connection, Galatoire’s, Jacques-Imo’s, K-Paul’s and Three Muses, among others.
Since its founding in 1984, the French Quarter Festival has become the largest showcase of Louisiana music in the world. Last year’s edition was marred by heavy rains that led to a substantial dip in attendance after a record 732,000 people came out in 2014. We’ve got our fingers crossed that things will be much different this time around.
Here’s a look at the day-by-day lineups for French Quarter Festival:
* indicates first appearance at festival
Thursday, April 7
Bag of Donuts
Blues Masters featuring “Big Al” Carson
Brandon Moreau & His Cajungrass
Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band
Cha Wa*
Charlie Wooten Project*
Cowboy Mouth*
Dave Jordan & the NIA
Deacon John
Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra
The Dixie Cups
The Doghill Stompers
Ellis Marsalis
Fredy Omar con su Banda
The Joe Krown Trio w/Walter Wolfman Washington &
Russell Batiste Jr.
John “Papa” Gros
John Boutte
Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers
Lynn Drury Band
The New Orleans Suspects
Panorama Jazz Band
PresHall Brass
Sonny Landreth*
T’Canaille*
The Revelers
The Tin Men
Friday, April 8
The Allyn Robinson Project
Andre Bouvier and the Royal Bohemians
Audacity Brass Band
Babineaux Sisters Band
Banu Gibson and New Orleans Hot Jazz
The Batture Boys, featuring Tommy Malone & Ray Ganucheau*
Ben Polcer and the Grinders
Benny Grunch and the Bunch
Bill Summers & Jazalsa
Chris Mulé and the Perpetrators
Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band
Connie Jones and the FQF All Stars
Davell Crawford
Dex Daley & Jam-X*
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
The Dukes Of Dixieland
Hot 8 Brass Band
The Irene Sage Band
Irma Thomas, Soul Queen of New Orleans
James Andrews
Johnny J. and the Hitmen
Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes
Kid Merv & All That Jazz
Kim Carson and the Real Deal
Leroy Jones’ Original Hurricane Brass Band
Leroy Thomas & the Zydeco Roadrunners
Little Maker*
Lost Bayou Ramblers
Marc Stone
Mason Ruffner*
Mia Borders
Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles
New Birth Brass Band
New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings
New Orleans Nightcrawlers
Otra
Red Wolf Brass Band
Robin Barnes
Sarah Quintana & the Miss River Band*
Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs
Soul Project NOLA
Steve Pistorius & the Southern Syncopators
Susan Cowsill
Sweet Crude
Tuba Skinny
Vic Shepherd with More Reverb
Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington and the Roadmasters
Waylon Thibodeaux Band
Saturday, April 9
Adam Crochet
Amy Nicole & Zydeco Soul*
Anaïs St. John
Andre Bohren*
Andrew Duhon
Aurora Nealand & The Royal Roses
Bad Penny Pleasuremakers*
Bamboula 2015
Barbara Shorts
Big Chief Bo Dollis, Jr. & the Wild Magnolias
Big Sam’s Funky Nation
Bonerama
Brother Tyrone & the Mindbenders
Camile Baudoin and the Living Rumors
Casa Samba Extravaganza
Charlie Halloran and the Quality 6*
Charmaine Neville
Christian Serpas & Ghost Town
Clive Wilson’s New Orleans Serenaders
Daria & The Hip Drops
Dash Rip Rock
Dayna Kurtz
Denton Hatcher
Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders
Donna Angelle & the Zydeco Posse
Duke Heitger’s Steamboat Stompers
Erin Miley
Feufollet
Flow Tribe
Funk Monkey
Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue
Garden District Band
Gina Brown & Anutha Level
Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestras
Happy Talk Band
Harpist Rachel Van Voorhees
Hot Club of New Orleans
Hot Rod Lincoln
The Iguanas
Jerry Embree’s Jazzman Band
Jo-el Sonnier
John Mooney and Bluesiana
Jumonville Staehle Band
Kelcy Wilburn
Lena Prima and Band
Leroy Jones & New Orleans’ Finest
Lillian Boutté & Gumbo Zaire
Linnzi Zaorski
Lisa Lynn
Little Freddie King
Mahogany Brass Band
Mayumi Shara & New Orleans Jazz Letters
Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns
Michael “Soulman” Batiste*
Miss Sophie Lee
Naughty Professor
New Breed Brass Band
New Orleans Classic Jazz Orchestra
The New Orleans Jazz Vipers
New Orleans Swamp Donkeys
Opera Creole
Orange Kellin’s New Orleans Deluxe Orchestra
Ovi-G and the Froggies
Partners-N-Crime & the Big EZ Band featuring DJ
Jubilee
Paulin Brothers Jazz Band
Red Hot Brass Band
The Revealers
Rhodes Spedale & Live Jazz Group
Riccardo Crespo & Sol Brasil
The Ronnie Kole Show featuring John Perkins
The Salt Wives*
Smoke N Bones*
Some Like it Hot Traditional Jazz Band
Stooges Brass Band
Storyville Stompers Brass Band
Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots
Tank and The Bangas
Tim Laughlin
Tom McDermott and His Jazz Hellions
T-Ray The Violinist and D2R (Dreams2Reality)
Vivaz!
Washboard Chaz Blues Trio
Wendell Brunious
Wes Raymond &The SOUL Factory*
Sunday, April 10
Alex McMurray
Alexandra Scott
Amanda Shaw
Amy Trail
Andrew Hall’s Society Brass Band
Andre Bouvier and the Royal Bohemians
Andy J Forest Trio*
Astral Project
Brass-A-Holics
Bucktown All-Stars
Buckwheat Zydeco*
Caesar Brothers Funk Box*
Carl LeBlanc
Chance Bushman & The Ibervillianaires*
Chegadão
Colin Lake
Corey Henry’s Treme Funktet
Cori Walters and the Universe Jazz Band
Creole String Beans
Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra
Debauche
Don Jamison Heritage School Of Music
Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers
Egg Yolk Jubilee
Erica Falls
Goat in the Road (Comedy Troupe)*
Guitar Slim, Jr.
Guitarist John Rankin
Hanna Kreiger-Benson
Harmonouche
Helen Gillet’s Wazozo Zorchestra
Honey Island Swamp Band
Hot Stuff featuring Becky Allen
Ingrid Lucia
Jean Knight and Her Band*
Jee Yeoun Ko and Friends
Jeremy Davenport
Joe Cabral Thrio
Johnny J. and the Hitmen
John Rankin
Ken Swartz & the Palace of Sin*
Kid Simmons Jazz Band
Kris Tokarski
Lagniappe Brass Band
Lars Edegran’s New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra
The Last Straws
Lawrence Cotton Legendary Experience
Los Po-Boy-Citos
Mahala*
MainLine*
Marc Adams Band
Mark Brooks
Melody Cloud Singers
The Original Pinettes Brass Band
New Orleans Moonshiners
New Orleans Volunteer Orchestra
Orleans Jazz Band
Palmetto Bug Stompers
Patrice Fisher and Arpa
Paul Sanchez
Peter Novelli
The Pfister Sisters
Raw Oyster Cult
Reed Alleman Band
Rick Trolsen’s New Orleans Po’Boys
Rockin’ Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters
Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars
Rory Danger & the Danger Dangers
Shannon Powell Traditional All-Star Band
Shotgun Jazz Band
The Smoking Time Jazz Club
Sons of Jazz Brass Band
St. Cecilia’s Asylum Chorus
St. Louis Cathedral Artist in Residence, Pierre Querol
Sweet Cecilia
Thais Clark & her JAZZsters*
Tommy Sancton’s New Orleans Legacy Band
Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony
Treme Brass Band
Wanda Rouzan and A Taste of New Orleans
