The Freret Street Festival is set to take place this Saturday, March 25, and promises to welcome music, food, and local culture. The festival spans Freret Street between Napoleon and Valmont, featuring three stages at Soniat, Valence, and Napoleon Streets.

The festival will host several college and college-adjacent artists from the bubbling Loyola, Tulane, and UNO scenes, including jam band Eclectic Soul Project (ESP), psychedelic rock quintet Planet of The Little Green Men, and a Loyola hip-hop showcase featuring local rapper Alfred Banks. The Zaria Sims Collective is a fusion group led by saxophonist and recent Loyola graduate Zaria Sims; renowned country-rock guitarist, singer Alvin Youngblood Hart; and accordionist Corey Ledet, who will headline the three stages.

Non-Louisiana-based genres will also appear at the festival with acts like N’Fungola Sibo, a West-African-inspired dance troop, and Crescent & Clover, a Celtic string quartet.

In addition to music, more than 200 vendors will line the street, selling various goods, including paintings, jewelry, clothing and more. Ample food vendors will also provide classics like boiled crawfish and fried fish. Local businesses, such as Dat Dog, will also participate and will have booths in addition to their brick-and-mortar restaurants.

The event is family- and pet-friendly and will also feature a pet adoption station. The festival grew from the monthly Freret Market, started in 2008, and features many of the same local artisans. After over 15 years, the market continues via the festival, which aims to support local businesses on Freret.