by Emma Boyce

Louisiana is known for their soulful music, delicious food and warm hospitality.  Support all three this weekend by enjoying a large plate of your favorite creature from under the sea at the Louisiana Seafood Festival at Woldenberg Park.  Proceeds from the event benefit the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation (LHF), a non-profit organization that supports local youth programs.

Jennifer Kelley, who works with the foundation year round, says, “[LHF] recently made a donation to the Children’s Museum [and] has also done work with Café Hope, [which] provides a formal training program for at risk children to put them into the work force.  They [LHF] put on these big events to raise money to give it away.”  

In previous years the Louisiana Seafood Festival was actually two different festivals, the Louisiana Seafood Festival and the New Orleans Seafood Festival.  It was only recently that the two festivals merged together to form a larger festival. 

“We are able to bring the message of the Louisiana Seafood Festival to a broad audience.  We will be serving our local community and our visitors,” says Kelley.  

Growing every year, the festival is projected to have over 150,000 attendees this year.  Last year, the festival hosted around 50,000 people.     

With 36 musical acts, 26 local vendors and 19 local restaurants, there will be no lack of fun, food and music.  

Kelley highlights only a few crowd favorites of the 36 musicians, including Cyril Neville, Papa Grows Funk, George Porter Jr., Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes and many more.  

“We have some fabulous food options,” says Kelley. 

Crunch down on a shrimp poboy from Acme Oyster House, dig into Mr. Mudbug’s red beans and rice, slurp down a charbroiled oyster from Drago’s, or get adventurous with some of Saltwater Grill’s gator meat.  

The full lineup for both music and restaurants can be found on Louisiana Seafood Festival website. 

“We are doing a larger than life jazz brunch on Sunday, so when the festival opens we will have Jeremy Davenport and our beverage booths will feature bloody marys along with other drinks,” says Kelley.    

There will also be a cooking demo stage, where renowned chefs like John Besh do demonstrations, a kids tents with interactive seafood themed activities, shopping, and a fresh seafood market where people can purchase raw or boiled seafood and learn how prepare and clean the seafood. 

“The weather is predicted to be amazing, so there’s absolutely no reason for people not to show up,” says Kelley.