by Brad Rhines

If you can’t get an invitation to your neighbor’s crawfish boil this weekend, fret not. Even if the guy next door is being selfish with his shellfish, two local fests promise a bounty of mudbugs this weekend and both events feature plenty of great live music and local entertainment.  Uptown, Tulane’s annual Crawfest promises plenty of fun in the sun for the coed crowd, while out in Bucktown the seafood stalwarts at Deanie’s host Pinch-A-Palooza, a street party for all ages.

Sponsored primarily by Tulane’s Undergraduate Student Government and open to the public, Crawfest brings the boil to campus and features a full day of live, local music.  In fact, while Crawfest is named for the crustacean, music might be the bigger draw, as the event was named one of the “10 Best College Music Events in the Country” last year by the Huffington Post.  This year’s line-up is heavy on funk and brass, with bands including Galactic, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, and the Soul Rebels.

Admission is free for all, and the crawfish is free for students, faculty, and staff.  For a mere $10, everyone else can get a wristband for unlimited crawfish while it lasts and drinks of the non-adult variety.  Organizers point out that while alcohol is not sold at Crawfest, attendees are welcome to bring their own.  No coolers, glass, or cans are allowed, but plastic cups are deemed acceptable receptacles for Boone’s Farm, Natty Ice, and other social lubricants.

At Deanie’s in Bucktown, the 3rd annual Pinch-A-Palooza starts Sunday at 2:00pm and goes until 8:00, featuring a music line-up that includes recent Grammy winners Rebirth Brass Band and an appearance by the 610 Stompers.  The legendary seafood joint will be serving up lots of hot boiled crawfish, along with fried crawfish tails, crawfish po-boys, and crawfish balls, which are actually larger than one might expect.  For those inspired by the Black Widow’s victory at last weekend’s Crawfish Eating World Championship, Pinch-A-Palooza organizers will feature a crawfish eating contest of their own.

Both a seafood market and restaurant, Deanie’s opened up nearly 50 years ago in Bucktown, a fishing and boating community just off the shores of Lake Pontchartrain near the 17th Street Canal.  Known in the 1900’s as a raucous spot for jazz, booze, and loose women, Metairie’s suburban sprawl has brought a more civilized atmosphere to the area over the years, but Bucktown still serves up some of the freshest seafood in the city.  Pinch-A-Palooza is a chance for Deanie’s to honor the bounty of the lake, and proceeds will go to the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation to support education, advocacy and restoration efforts of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin habitat.

For more information about the events, visit the webpages for Crawfest and Pinch-A-Palooza.