Greenberg: New Orleans Shines with French Quarter Festival – What Can San Francisco Learn from It?

At 10:00am Thursday April 10, 2025, a “Second Line” parade embarked from Canal Street headed north on gritty and glorious Bourbon Street within the French Quarter of New Orleans, banners, umbrellas and shiny brass instruments ablaze with melody styles we’re come to love. This was the official kickoff for the 41st year of the French Quarter Festival, the yearly showcase (and tribute) to all things musical and culinary tied to the city’s lengthy history. It is a vibrant celebration of the New Orleans soul.

The festival (we’ll refer to it as FQF), held annually in the heart of New Orleans’ historic Vieux Carré, is a dazzling testament to the city’s unbreakable spirit and cultural richness. With nearly 300 performers spread over 22 venues, this four-day extravaganza brings an estimated 800,000 lovers of jazz, zydeco, blues, folk, funk, gospel, soul/R &B, Dixieland, hip hop, NoLa bounce, Latin, Mardi Gras Indian, and more. New for this year was a stage dedicated to hip-hop DJ sets. And the core requirement for all acts? They must be local. Yes, the FQF puts the spotlight on the talents of greater New Orleans’ musicians only.

The FQF is easily confused with the more widely known Jazz Fest, held just a few weeks later. They are not one and the same. Indeed, when relating my experience of the FQF to friends and family back in California, few had heard of it, but all knew of (or had attended) Jazz Fest. And yet the FQF is well worth the trip.

The festival’s origins are as grassroots as the city itself. In the early 1980s, after extensive street repairs left the French Quarter and its businesses quieter than usual, then-mayor “Dutch” Morial tasked a group—nine business owners and jazz pianist Ronnie Kole—with creating an event to lure people back. Their vision: a festival that would spotlight local musicians and cuisine with no admission fee to ensure accessibility. That first year set the tone, and by 2019, the event attracted over 800,000 attendees, affirming its status as a cultural staple. Though the pandemic forced cancellations in 2020 and 2021, the festival roared back in 2022, and this year’s edition proved it’s only grown stronger.

Hosted in the French Quarter, you’ll be treated to not just the sounds but sights of a city founded in 1718 as a French colony trading and commerce outpost. The architecture, tight streets, gaslight lamps, narrow doorways and signature balconies serve as the backdrop. And all the performances are outdoors. A few of the major performers are situated on large stages placed in grassy fields just to the east of the ancient buildings, along the waterfront promenade of the Mississippi River.

The FQF host website provides an app to download to your phone with key information, tips and a printable schedule of acts, stages, dates and times for the full festival. Yes, there’s a lot to see. And yes, comfortable footwear is an absolute must, as it’s easy to log literally miles of walking from stage to stage, to restaurants, food stalls, the restroom and back again during each of the four days. The schedule grid looks, and is, daunting. The entire Quarter stretches 13 blocks north-south but not to worry, you won’t need to trek the full distance. The stages and venues are concentrated within certain core areas.

How about the music? That’s the heavenly part and the point of this all.

One of the FQF’s stages is dedicated to Zydeco performances, which is among the most traditional, historic styles of music in this part of America today. Much of the lyrics are in Cajun French, adding to the charm and authenticity. High energy compositions featuring accordion and washboard round out this unique style rarely seen elsewhere, with headliners like Rockin’ Dopsie Jr and the Zydeco Twisters.

It is truly too long a list of performers to review each of them; many are longtime legends who’ve made their mark nationally over decades. FQF provides you an excellent opportunity to see them at one event. Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffins, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet embody New Orleans’ musical legacy, along with Al “Lil Fats” Jackson, Keith Frank & Soileau Zydeco Band, Big Chief Juan Pardo’s Tribal Gold and Flagboy Giz & the Wild Tchoupitoulas, The New Orleans Klezmer All Stars, Little Freddie King, The Soul Rebels, Big Freedia, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Wendell Brunious and so, so many others.

The festival’s commitment to exclusively featuring local artists reinforces its role as a celebration of regional culture, distinguishing it from larger festivals like Jazz Fest, which include national acts.

And the inclusion of student performers and brass bands underscores the festival’s role in nurturing future generations of musicians.

Many have asked what makes French Quarter Fest so enjoyable and unique compared to shows and festivals held in San Francisco? What could San Fran learn from FQF’s success, particularly in leveraging its own cultural heritage, community engagement, and diverse programming? Interesting question and of course numerous ideas and pondering is the result:

A potential San Francisco festival can highlight the city’s countercultural history (e.g., the Summer of Love, Haight-Ashbury’s psychedelic rock era) and diverse musical legacy (jazz, punk, indie). Festivals could create dedicated stages or pavilions for Bay Area genres, like the “San Francisco sound” of the 1960s (Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane) or contemporary indie acts. A “Haight-Ashbury Stage” or exhibits on the Beat Generation could develop and showcase cultural storytelling. They could broaden their appeal by integrating more diverse acts, such as Asian, K-Pop, African, Middle Eastern, Indian, Russian, Latin, hip-hop, or world music, to reflect the city’s multicultural population.

This would bring true diverse music to the forefront. San Francisco festivals could establish foundations or partnerships to fund music education, local artist grants, or off-season concerts to expand educational outreach beyond summer concerts, offering workshops or youth programs. And though today’s festivals often use Golden Gate Park, they could expand into historic neighborhoods like the Mission, Chinatown, streets of the city’s West side or North Beach. For example, the Fillmore Jazz Festival could extend its footprint with pop-up stages in Western Addition, or Noise Pop could host events in iconic venues like the Fillmore, tying music to the city’s cultural fabric.

And there was one very big, glaring thing noticeably lacking at the FQF as observed by yours truly, an attendee and observer from San Francisco: Political statements. I saw none. Politics is not a part of the festival and that’s a really good thing. No controversial t-shirts, no slogans, nor headwear or rally cries. We were all together for four glorious days to enjoy the rich, cultural diversity and legendary music New Orleans offered— and it certainly did not disappoint.

What: The annual French Quarter Festival

When: Annually, early to mid-April each year

Website: https://frenchquarterfest.org

Getting there: Major airlines serve Louis Armstrong airport (MSY), located 16 miles to the west. From there, take a taxi, ride-share service, rent a car, or if you’re lucky, you’ll have a friend or relative that already lives there to come get you.

Cost: Free

Links:

Waylon Thibodeaux: https://youtu.be/E9P1pYTV3S8?si=T2ilv–IGy0HN4oF

Keith Frank: https://youtu.be/blfnEyH91X0?si=l_WZvMbQsssennH3

Big Freedia: https://youtu.be/W8xmdK2gzEg?si=AeKJdWZfz4YQf-ox

Pfister Sisters: https://www.youtube.com/live/IF4Ok2X3Yx4?si=C4oEbB6Q7D6lfk6L&t=1332

Wendell Brunious: https://youtu.be/xtQwweqFpWw?si=-eEsQ9C6kOn9DxmJ&t=2029

New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars: https://youtu.be/AMTX4K5ptgM?si=lxNrYJMs9FVx4o6_&t=34

Flag Boy Giz: https://youtu.be/Jla8uEn4aqo?si=LlnuvqRgZ9eejUEH&t=58

Higher Heights Reggae Band: https://youtu.be/e7kxwV-IerI?si=MHiyHTWZsbu4t0eu&t=46

NewOrleans.com

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