Last year, OffBeat.com reported on the ongoing effort to bring the inaugural New Orleans Accordion Festival to fruition. At the time, a fundraising concert featuring Accordianistan, Noah Adams, Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, Ash Blume, The Klezmer All-Stars Duo, Bart Ramsey, Greg Schatz and others was announced. Now, nearly 12 months later, Festival organizers have announced the dates and partial lineup.

On Friday, November 2, Siberia Lounge will host an accordion-based dance party to kick things off. There, Corey Ledet, Bruce Daigrepont and the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars will perform zydeco, Cajun and (duh) klezmer music. The following day, free performances on two stages will take place at the Old U.S. Mint. Grammy-winning jazz accordionist and arranger Gil Goldstein is on tap, as is drummer Johnny Vidacovich. These performances are made possible in partnership with the French Market and National Park Service. On Sunday, November 4, there will be workshops, panels, a film screening, an accordion petting zoo (you read that right) and an all-inclusive jam session.

In an effort to ensure that New Orleans receives the accordion festival it deserves, organizers have launched a Kickstarter. “We already have our acts confirmed for Friday and Saturday evenings,” say organizers. “We are booked and confirmed at the various venues that will host the festival. At this point, funding is the biggest challenge to making our festival a reality.” 

For more information on the New Orleans Accordion Festival, click here.