Aaron Ackerson flips sausages on the grill for Vaucresson during the 2017 Oak Street Po-Boy Festival. (Zach Brien, UptownMessenger.com)
This year’s Oak Street Po-Boy Festival will take place Sunday, Nov. 11, and will continue requiring a $5 wristband for po-boy purchases under new management from the founder of the Bayou Boogaloo in Mid-City, organizers announced Tuesday.
More than 30,000 people are expected to attend, and more than 50 varieties of po-boys will be available. For more information, see the full event announcement from the Oak Street merchants’ association:
The 12th Annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival will take place Sunday November 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on historic Oak Street in the Carrollton neighborhood of Uptown. The beloved annual festival celebrates New Orleans’ favorite sandwich with four stages of music and more than 35 local po-boy vendors.
The Oak Street Merchants, Residents and Property Owners (OSMRPO) also announced that Jared Zeller, founder and producer of the annual Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo, will produce the 2018 Oak Street Po-Boy Festival. Each year, more than 30,000 people attend the festival, which takes place on Oak Street between Carrollton Avenue and Leake Avenue/River Road.
“We’re so excited to bring Jared on this year,” President of the Oak Street Merchants, Residents and Property Owners Min Yang said, “His work with the Bayou Boogaloo has been consistently impressive, and we’re looking forward to his experience and insights enhancing the Po-Boy Fest.”
The free festival will once again offset the cost of security and infrastructure by selling $5 wristbands that will allow the purchase of po-boys. Wristbands can be purchased at the festival.
This event features New Orleans’ best restaurants, artists and musicians coming together in appreciation of the legendary po-boy. There will be over 50 delicious variations of the iconic sandwich with performances from some of the best bands in town and the return of the Where Y’Art Market.
The festival benefits OSMRPO and Son of a Saint, a 501(c)3 non-profit which exists to enhance the lives of fatherless boys through mentorship, emotional support, development of life skills, exposure to constructive experiences and formation of positive, lasting peer-to-peer relationships.
The festival is still accepting applications from food vendors and any bands interested in performing. Applications and more information can be found at https://www.poboyfest.com.
The Oak Street Merchants, Residents and Property Owners’ mission is to improve living and business conditions in an area of the City of New Orleans known as the Oak Street neighborhood, assist the City of New Orleans in maintaining the Oak Street neighborhood in such a way as to enhance the quality of life of residents, merchants, and visitors, and provide assistance to other organizations that engage in charitable activities that benefit the community at large.
