Festivals

Kristine Froeba on Washington Mardi Gras: Louisianians cross the Potomac

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The movers and shakers of Louisiana including quite a bit of New Orleans, and more than a few hundred Uptowners recently descended on the nation’s capital to celebrate the annual Washington Mardi Gras. “If a bomb dropped on this ballroom tonight, Louisiana as you know it would cease to exist,” said one of the organizers at the Saturday night ball. Leaders of business, law partners, CEOs, congressmen, congresswomen, mayors, senators and the governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, were all present. The yearly three-day event dates back to 1944 and has been led by the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians since 1957. “What began as a demonstration of the spirit of Mardi Gras” has grown into a celebration of Louisiana, its politics and its people,” per the krewe’s website.

Festivals

Uptown Weekend: French Film Festival, ‘Vagina Monologues’

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During the last weekend before parades take over Uptown streets, there’s still plenty to do without leaving the neighborhood. To name a few: You can take in a French movie at the Prytania or a play at the Ashe Cultural Arts Center. French Film Festival

The 22nd New Orleans French Film Festival, one of the longest running foreign language festivals in the country, showcases contemporary and classic francophone Cinema for audiences of about 4,000 at the Prytania Theatre, 5339 Prytania St., the oldest single-screen movie house operating in Louisiana. Live music and lectures will accompany a curated selection of French, French language films and a program of short films.

Je ne parle pas Française, you say? Don’t worry; all films are screened with English subtitles.

arts, books and music

Festival brings a taste of the Caribbean to Central City (Photos)

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The annual Marley Gras festival took place at Central City BBQ on Saturday, Feb. 9. The festival featured live music, Jamaican food,  handmade crafts, as well as a pepper-eating competition and a jerk-chicken cook-off. The celebration of the connections between New Orleans and Caribbean culture is held during Carnival in honor of reggae pioneer Bob Marley’s Feb. 6 birthday.

arts, books and music

Uptown bars help New Orleans win the Boycott Bowl (Photos)

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On Sunday, Feb. 3, almost all of New Orleans boycotted the Super Bowl in one fashion or another, after the Saints were kept from the big game thanks to a missed call by the referees in the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams. For many, boycotting the game was more fun than watching the game. Among the Uptown venues hosting boycott events, Dat Dog threw a block party, Kingpin had a second line and Tracey’s served seafood. The boycott put a large dent in local viewership of the Super Bowl with a 26.1 rating. Nationally, the game’s viewership was the lowest since 2009 with a 44.9 rating.

events

Marley Gras Jerk Chicken Festival gets its name back, announces music and vendor lineups

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Marley Gras Jerk Chicken Festival is back with its original name as well as a full slate of local, national and international acts to accompany the Jamaican cuisine. The celebration of the connections between New Orleans and Caribbean culture is set for Feb. 9 at Central City BBQ, 1201 S. Rampart St. Festival organizers and the Bob Marley family estate have resolved their legal dispute, and the festival can use the name “Marley Gras,” festival organizers announced. The name was changed to NOLA Jerk Chicken Festival in 2017, its inaugural year, in response to complaints from Marley International.

Festivals

Oak Street Po-Boy Festival announces awards for the fest’s best

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A smoked-chicken po-boy from Boucherie on South Carrollton Avenue was named the Best Chicken at the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival on Sunday. Parkway Bakery and Tavern’s James Brown po-boy danced away with the Best in the Fest award. The BBQ shrimp and beef po-boy beat out the more than 60 variations of the po-boy served at the annual celebration of New Orleans’ signature sandwich. The Oak Street festival’s website describes Boucherie’s winning sandwich as “smoked chicken with white BBQ sauce, queso chihuahua, candied jalapeno and rapini.”  

The Po-Boy Fest winners are:
Best Pork: Trenasse for its Muffi Po-Boy
Best Chicken: Boucherie for smoked chicken po -boy
Best Beef: Parkway for The James Brown – BBQ shrimp and beef
Best Shrimp: Gulf Taco for its Lt. Dan shrimp po-boy
Best Seafood: Red Fish Grill’s BBQ Oyster
Most unique: NOLA Boil’s Escargot Po-Boy

The Oak Street Po-Boy Festival was held Sunday, Nov.

events

Oak Street Po-Boy Festival features fan favorites, Urban South’s new lager

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The 12th Annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival—which takes place Sunday, Nov. 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.—will feature po-boys from prize-winning vendors, live music, and a specially-brewed Po-Boy Lager from Urban South Brewery. Po-Boy Festival 2018 Menu
Coming back to defend as the 2017 overall winner is Red Fish Grill with its champion BBQ Oyster Po-Boy. Vincent’s Italian Cuisine and their “Godfather” po-boy, a crowd favorite and winner of the 2017 “Best Pork” entry, will also be back this year. Returning after a two-year hiatus is Parkway Bakery and Tavern.

church

Scandinavian Jazz Church to hold final Christmas festival

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After 112 years in New Orleans, the Scandinavian Jazz Church on Prytania Street will close and be sold at the end of the year, but not before holding its final annual Christmas festival this weekend. The festival features homemade Scandinavian food, handmade crafts, live music, a raffle and silent auction, and cooking demonstrations. It will take place at the church at 1772 Prytania Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and again 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. More information can be found at the church’s website, and additional details about the church’s history and closing can be found in the announcement below:
The Scandinavian Jazz Church, an Uptown New Orleans landmark, will close its doors at the end of 2018 following more than 110 years of service and programming. The decision comes following several attempts over the past decade to repurpose the facility without losing sight of its original mission of service to the local and visiting Nordic community, and as the religious home to a small congregation of people with Norwegian, Swedish and other Nordic heritages and backgrounds.

arts, books and music

Film festival selection features Central City youth football team and combating violence-based trauma

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The A.L. Davis Park Panthers, its players, and their mental health are the points of focus for the 2018 New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF) selection, The Children of Central City. The 18-minute documentary—shot and directed by Emma Scott, based on the reporting of Jonathan Bullington and Richard A. Webster—shows the impact of the youth football program based in Central City New Orleans, and the violent environment its children must go through. Purpose
The premise of the film is as follows:
For the boys on the Davis Park team, it’s not a matter of if they’ve been exposed to violence– it’s how often. In their young lives, they’ve already attended funerals for slain family and friends, and stepped off school buses to the sight of flashing blue lights and yellow crime scene tape. They can tell the difference between fireworks and gunfire, and they know what to do when they hear the latter.

events

Kristine Froeba: Deutsches Haus Returns to New Orleans

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Three Weekends of das Oktoberfest! Prost! Deutsches Haus and Oktoberfest are back in town. Das Deutsches Haus, New Orleans’ German cultural and heritage center, aka the German house, is back in the city proper and celebrating Oktoberfest. This year marks the organizations 90th anniversary and its inaugural Oktoberfest at its new location in Mid-City.