It’s hard to believe a decade has passed since Katrina devastated homes, neighborhoods, and lives all over the city. Bayou Boogaloo 2015 was yet another reminder of how much time has elapsed, and just how much has changed since then.

Although the still-derelict Lindy Boggs Medical Center (formerly Mercy Hospital) loomed unsettlingly in the background, lest anyone forget the horrors Mid-City saw back in 2005, the overall effect festival attendees arrived to was a pristine bayou waterfront in the midst of a healthy-looking neighborhood.

Tom McDermott and Meschiya Lake, photo by Dave Sanders

The waterway is once again shaded by a line of lofty oaks, thanks to the fundraising and tree-planting efforts of Bayou Boogaloo’s Mothership Foundation and Canopy Club.

Even before Katrina, longtime Mid-City resident Jared Zeller had contemplated putting together a free neighborhood music festival.

When the hurricane hit, and residents were faced with the herculean task of picking up the pieces and beginning to rebuild, a festival seemed the perfect way to help revitalize the neighborhood. It not only supported local musicians, crafters, and businesses, but also gave hard-working community members an opportunity to unwind and celebrate.

Bayou Boogaloo 2015 was a far cry from that once-small neighborhood fest, but this year’s new, amped-up incarnation was a great success in a different way.

These days, the festival is a huge production with three days of live music spread across three stages (plus lots of additional sponsored activities like a bicycle pub crawl). It draws tens of thousands of people, well over 30,000 in 2014.

Unsurprisingly, the mass of humanity (and its bounding, panting canine companions) became incredibly dense at peak hours this weekend, elevating the May heat and humidity from predictably-oppressive to near-unbearable. However, that comes with the territory of attending a Louisiana summer festival.

Bayou Boogaloo’s efforts to be environmentally-conscious are truly commendable—it’s one of the most sustainable festivals in the city, in addition to donating money to revitalize the bayou. But it could really use some trash cans if it doesn’t want to negate its own purpose. There were two types of recycling bins, stationed in pairs, all over the damned place, but nary a trash can in site.

A three-piece set might be the prudent way to go next year, because if not, people will dump their trash into the recycling bins—which they did, in droves, all weekend long.

Soul Creole, photo by Laura DeFazio

Overall, though, the three-day run was fantastic, and the producers did a great job expanding the festival while still remaining true to its original, family-friendly, neighborhood-oriented goals.

The rain held off for the most part, the food was delicious, and the scenery was stunning.

Most of all, the free-and-open-to-the-public festival provided a cost-effective opportunity to see an amazing selection of high-caliber musical acts, perhaps ones that you had always been meaning to catch but never quite had the chance.

Bayou Boogaloo deserves props especially for booking such a wide variety of genres and showcasing local musicians from across the board.

From the Cajun-fusion rock of Soul Creole to the brass-infused punky alt of Yojimbo, from the Mardi Gras Indian funk of the Wild Magnolias to the soaring instrumental jams of Woodenhead, from the jazzy duets of Tom McDermott and Meschiya Lake to the bright brass flair of Funky Dawgz Brass Band, and the sultry croon of Erica Falls, Bayou Boogaloo music really ran the gamut.

The lineup featured names big and small, giving everyone a chance to see their old favorites and discover new music as well.

A more complete music run-down is coming up soon.