Shell-A-Bration, a community event dedicated to raising awareness for the shell recycling program of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL), will be held on Friday, March 25, in Crescent Park from 6-9 p.m. The CRCL collects shells from New Orleans restaurants to restore oyster reefs and shoreline habitat in coastal Louisiana and is the only program of its kind in the state.

Shell-A-Bration brings together partnering restaurants, sponsors, community members and stakeholders for a night of celebrating coastal restoration. Launched in June 2014, this program has become one of the largest shell recycling programs in the nation. As of December 2021, CRCL has collected over 10 million pounds of shell from 31 local restaurants to build four oyster reefs. The Coalition is working on creating a fifth reef this summer.

​The night will include music from the Grammy Award-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers and Da Truth Brass Band, oysters, food, drinks, a raffle and silent auction.

The Grammy Award-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers’ evolution as a perversely progressive band rooted in Cajun traditions continues to excite, challenge and redefine both genre expectations as well as cultural preconceptions. Founded in 1999 by brothers Andre and Louis Michot, over the course of the past five years the band has been featured on Jack White’s American Epic, scored contributions to the Oscar-nominated film Beasts of the Southern Wild, collected a Grammy Award for their latest album, Kalenda, and toured with both Arcade Fire and the Violent Femmes. Lost Bayou Ramblers stands at the crosscurrents of Louisiana culture by inhabiting the gray area between Cajun and Creole, convention and innovation, mystery and a revelation, experimenting and growing the show to what it’s become today: an eclectic mix of modern sounds and rhythms with time-honored Cajun melodies and lyrics.

The music of Da Truth Brass Band has made its home in concert halls all over the country. Discovered at a young age, the band has spent years perfecting their technical sound and unique style while captivating the hearts of fans and audience members across the city.

Tickets are $45 (children under age 12 are free) and may be purchased at this link.