Mirliton Festival Gets New Bywater Digs

by Erica Boni

Downtown New Orleanians are once again gourd-ing its loins for one of their biggest annual parties.The Bywater Neighborhood Association hosts its 23rd annual Mirliton Festival on Saturday. The mirliton is a unique heirloom perrenial squash, native to Louisiana. Since the beginning of the festival, neighborhood chefs have spent the first weekend in November cooking it up into delicacies.

This year the chefs at each the Country Club, Elizabeth’s, Baccanal, Pizza Delicious and a dozen other bywater based restaurants will be serving their versions of the mirliton from 11am to 7pm at the Brickyard (Chartres and Montegut). The festival has been moved from its usual spot at Micky Markey Park due to construction at that site, but promises to pack the same amount fun.

In addition to food, spirits will of course be served as each Abita and Old New Orleans Rum is counting themselves among the party’s sponsors. The latter will be serving a signature Daiquiri called the Bywater Bomber at their booth, created by the combined efforts of the New Orleans Daquiri Festival and Defend New Orleans in celebration of our right to drink outdoors! The groups have even linked up to establish an organization they’re calling Defend The Daquiri to increase programming and commerce around the frozen treats in order to help ensure the preservation of our wonderfully lax open container laws.

“The daiquiri is [made with] pineapple, fresh orange, fresh lime and has a natural green food coloring, rose water and Old New Orleans Crystal Rum,” Defend the Daiquiri's Jeremy Thompson said in a recent interview with NoDef.

Naturally the festival will also feature plenty of live music including performances by Kermit Ruffins, the Hot 8 Brass Band and the Archdiocese Gospel Choir among others. Ruffins is slated for a two hour set to close out this year's festivities. There will be plenty to keep you entertained between sets as well with performances by Fringe Festival actors and The Nola Cherry Bombs female dance and parade troupe as well as Dancing Man 504.

Proceeds from the $5 entry fee go to the Bywater Neighborhood Association which then uses the money to support local creativity through groups such as Alvar Arts, neighborhood beautification, Good Children’s Easter Parade and Fringe Festival among other projects. The family friendly event offers free admission for children under 12.

Here's the fest's schedule:

11.00 Archdiocese Gospel Choir

12.00 Daria and the Hip Drops

1.00 Luke Winslow King

2.00 Hot 8 Brass Band

3.00 Charmaine Neville

4.00 Kristin Diable

5.00 Kermit Ruffins

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