Aaron Ackerson flips sausages on the grill for Vaucresson during the 2017 Oak Street Po-Boy Festival. (Zach Brien, UptownMessenger.com)
The 13th annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival, with more than 60 variations of New Orleans’ signature sandwich, will take over the Oak Street business corridor from Carrollton Avenue to the river on Sunday, which is National Sandwich Day.
Festivities open at 10 a.m. with a second-line starting at Oak Street and Eagle and featuring the Merry Antoinettes, the Krewe of Condiments and the celebrity judges, including food writers Ian McNulty and Kim Ranjbar; local broadcast journalists Bruce Katz, Chris Franklin and Carla Pesono; football podcaster Marlin “Big Fav” Favorite; Saints superfan Leroy “Whistle Monster” Mitchell; actor Bryan Batt; and chef Bill Laderer.
Live local music on four stages provides a sound track for the festival from start to finish and, on the Maple Leaf stage, beyond. Acts include Soul Project, Blind Texas Marlin, Dave Jordan and the NIA, the Lamont Landers Band, Roadside Glorious, John Mooney and Funky Monkey with Arsene DeLay. This year’s art market will feature 19 local jewelers, painters and crafts.
Crowds packed Oak Street from curb to curb in search of po-boys and live music at the 2015 Oak Street Po-Boy Festival. (Zach Brien, UptownMessenger.com)
Admission
Admission to the festival — to enjoy the music and the art market and smell the po-boys cooking — is free and open to the public. To buy a po-boy, however, you’ll need a wristband.
A regular wristband is $5, and a Fast Pass, providing access to an express lane at the vendor booths, is $20. These will be available onsite (online sales are sold out). A portion of the proceeds from wristband sales benefits Son of A Saint.
VIP wristbands are $99 online and $125 at the festival on Sunday. It provides not only access to the fast lines but to the VIP lounge at Mellow Mushroom, a private balcony overlooking the festivities, indoor bathrooms, a private bar with unlimited beer from Port Orleans Brewery and specialty cocktails, and nibbles from Mellow Mushroom and Parkway Bakery and Tavern.
Parking and traffic
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parking and traffic in the Carrollton and Leonidas neighborhoods will be affected. Call 504-658-8100 for parking enforcement.
Expect road closures and traffic delays during the event. The following streets will be closed to traffic Sunday from approximately noon to 9 p.m.:
• Oak Street from South Carrollton Avenue to Eagle Street
• Leonidas Street from Plum to Zimpel streets
• Dublin, Dante, Cambronne, Joliet, and Monroe streets from Plum to Zimpel streets.
Local traffic will be allowed for side-street residents.
Consider using alternatives to driving, including RTA public transportation, taxis, transportation network companies (Uber, Lyft) or Blue Bikes. RTA routes may experience delays or detours during the event. All RTA service alerts, updates, and detours can be accessed by downloading the RTA’s GoMobile app. To learn more, visit www.norta.com or call Ride Line at 504-248-3900.
For more information, see the festival website.
