Festivals keep the calendar ... festive during this season of the year, which includes a holiday preview, fundraising events, a unique Carnival queen and a chance to "hear" from some dinosaurs. It's time to get Jurassic.
The Oak Street Po-Boy Festival in New Orleans in 2022 filled its namesake street with crowds out to sample different po-boys. (Photo by Scott Threlkeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Bread, meat, condiments...magic. And indeed it will be on Oak Street Uptown Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the PO-BOY FESTIVAL. The blocks-long celebration of a world of flavors features more than 40 food and beverage vendors, music, an arts market, children's activities and a po-boy contest. The fest is free, but a wristband is needed to purchase a po-boy. Take a big bite of the fun here.
Three events will be held to kickoff Celebration in the Oaks at City Park -- an adults-only party, a family fete and Jingle Bells and Beer.
It's a merry mashup under the oaks of City Park Saturday for the CELEBRATION IN THE OAKS PREVIEW PARTY plus JINGLE BELLS & BEER. The two seasonal soirees start at 7 p.m. at the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, 7 Victory Ave., and feature rides, brews, specialty cocktails in the Botanical Garden, entertainment, food and a sneak peak of the annual illuminated Walking Tour. General admission tickets are for the Carousel Gardens, with VIPs able to add the Botanical Garden. A raffle is also added this year. Tickets start at $40. Get in on the celebration here.
Celebrating young artists, JUST SAY YAYA Friday at 7 p.m. includes an arts market, silent auction, live entertainment and noshables at the YAYA Arts Center, 3322 LaSalle St., New Orleans, under the banner "Art to the Future." The event benefits the tuition-free arts and entrepreneurship training programs. $50 and up. Check out the art and the young artists here.
Jackson Smith, executive director of Bastion Community of Resilience, a nonprofit that supports injured veterans and their families, waits for other runners in his group to catch up during the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans, Saturday, April 8, 2023. (Photo by Scott Threlkeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
A new community wellness center at Bastion is the raison d'etre for GALA OF RESILIENCE Friday at 7 p.m. at the National WWII Museum, 945 Magazine St. The semi-formal affair in the U.S. Freedom Pavilion will feature food, performances and information on the veterans served by the Gentilly facility and the center that will offer resources and programming for those who have served the country in the military. Tickets start at $200. Find out about the work of Bastion and the gala here.
Jefferson Parish government plans to use federal pandemic funds to help cover an extensive renovation at the The Shrine on Airline stadium in Metairie. (Staff Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
"I Walk to Save Lives" is the theme of the annual American Heart Association's NEW ORLEANS HEART WALK, the fundraising fun time at the Shrine on Airline, 6000 Airline Drive, Metairie. Head over to Lot E for the fun that also includes a Kids Zone, CPR lessons, arts and crafts, survivor tree decorating and more. Registration starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, with the walk at 9 a.m. Get into the rhythm here.
Visit 2401 Tchoupitoulas St. for CRESCENT CITY CLAY FEST, the inaugural event with more than 50 potters and ceramic artists showing their wares, from those thrown on a wheel to contemporary ceramics, mosaic and tile. The one-day event Saturday has been moved to this new location and runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check out the clay works here.
Ivan Neville of Dumpstaphunk performs during the Bridge House / Grace House Sober Fest.
SOBER FEST is a full day of music, family-friendly fun, food and more to help raise funds for Bridge House/Grace House Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Sugar Mill on Convention Center Boulevard downtown. The event is focused on the positive aspects of recovery and will feature performances by George Porter Jr. and Runnin' Pardners, Ivan Neville and Friends, Camile Baudoin and the students of the Trombone Shorty Academy. Tickets start at $10 with food and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase. Check out the fest here.
Sam Neill tries to distract a T-Rex, in a scene from director Steven Spielberg's 1993 groundbreaker 'Jurassic Park.'
What happens when you mix a Tyrannosaurus with a timpani? How about a Velociraptor with a violin? The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Julian Pellicano, provides the live soundtrack to "JURASSIC PARK" IN CONCERT Saturday at 7:30 p.m. John Williams' iconic music will fill the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts at 1419 Basin St. as dinosaurs deliver a bit of disaster on film. Tickets start at $28. Take a peak at what's in store here.
Cora Slocomb circa 1881.
The legacy of CORA SLOCOM DI BRAZZÀ, QUEEN OF CARNIVAL IN 1881 will be examined in a panel discussion at the Presbytère Sunday when her great-granddaughter Idanna Pucci looks at the Italian contessa and her participation in progressive politics and social causes. Joining her will be Rex historian emeritus Stephen Hales, who will share more insight into Carnival queens and a mysterious 1878 Scottish-born queen. The Louisiana State Museum program begins at 3 p.m., with regular admission cost to the museum. louisianastatemuseum.org.
The sounds of Brazil make their way to the Vieux Carré and the Historic BK House & Gardens Sunday at 6 p.m. when AMIGOS DO SAMBA perform. The group, a blend of U.S. natives, Brazilians and others, is working to bring New Orleans the "roda de samba," a circular form of dance from the South American country. 1113 Chartres St. Tickets start at $30. Get more information on the program here.