The French Quarter will be filled with the sounds of zydeco music and the aroma of authentic Creole cuisine compliments of the NOLA Zydeco Festival on July 3. Tamica Lee of WGNO and the Bravo television series Southern Charm will host this free, public, family-friendly event featuring live bands and musical acts, authentic zydeco dance lessons, and access to food vendors along with historical exhibits in the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

“This event is filled with great music and entertainment paired with great local chefs and summer cocktails!,” said festival cofounder Gabrielle Deculus. “We are excited to join forces with so many culture bearers and two of the French Quarter’s landmarks: The French Market and The New Orleans Jazz Museum.”

“We have been planning this for a while to honor our great grandfather Alphonse ‘Bois Sec’ Ardoin and his Creole zydeco legacy, as well as all families and friends that love to dance and sing,” added cofounder Courtney Smith. “Gathering is important,”

Zydeco dance instructors Arthur Corbin and Harold Guillory will be on hand for the event. Grammy-nominated Artist Sean Ardoin is set to headline the event along with Houston’s “Bass in Yo’ Face” artist Lil Nathan, and Lake Charles’ Rusty Metoyer & the Zydeco Krush. All bands will be performing live on the Alphonse “Bois Sec” Ardoin main stage located in the New Orleans Jazz Museum courtyard facing Barracks Street.

Festival attendees will enjoy a wide selection of food options, from boiled seafood and turkey legs to fresh local fruit smoothies and sno-balls. An event map will be released in the coming weeks. NOLA Zydeco Fest will showcase New Orleans’ own Brass-A-Holics brass band and local culture bearers FlagBoy Giz of the Wild Tchoupitoulas and FlagBoy Doogie of the Wild Magnolias as the event’s finale.

The festival will be held from noon to 7 p.m. The New Orleans Jazz Museum is located at 400 Esplanade Avenue.

For more information, visit nolazydecofest.com .