2013 CRESCENT CITY BLUES & BBQ FESTIVAL

Jonny Lang, James Cotton, Shemekia Copeland, Mightly Sam McClain, Mel Waiters, the Lee Boys, Sonny Landreth, the Iguanas, Cedric Burnside, Alvin Youngblood Hart, John Mooney and Blind Boy Paxton are among the artists who will perform at the eighth annual Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival.

This free event takes place Oct. 18-20, 2013, in New Orleans’ Lafayette Square Park. It’s produced and presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.

What they're saying about the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival:

"I've been to many blues festivals in the U.S. and Europe, and I can honestly say that the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival is a charming piece of musical heaven. If you are planning a trip to New Orleans and want to experience the city and its wonderful music without enormous crowds, put this October, free festival on your musical bucket list." - Art Tipaldi, Editor, Blues Revue Magazine

2013 Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival Schedule:

Friday, Oct. 18, 2013
5:30 pm to 6:45 pm The Iguanas
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm James Cotton

Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013
St. Charles Ave Stage:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Guitar Lightning Lee
2:15 pm to 3:15 pm John Mooney
4:30 pm to 5:45 pm Sonny Landreth
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Jonny Lang

Camp Street Stage:
11:00 am to 12:00 pm Rev. John Wilkins
1:00 pm to 2:15 pm Blind Boy Paxton
3:15 pm to 4:30 pm Alvin Youngblood Hart
5:45 pm to 7:00 pm Shemekia Copeland

Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013
St. Charles Ave. Stage:
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm TBA
2:15 pm to 3:15 pm Cedric Burnside Project
4:30 pm to 5:45 pm The Lee Boys
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Mel Waiters

Camp Street Stage:
11:00 am to 12:00 pm TBA
1:00 pm to 2:15 pm Jonathan Boogie Long
3:15 pm to 4:30 pm Beverly Guitar Watkins
5:45 pm to 7:00 pm Mighty Sam McClain

ARTS MARKET VENDORS
Applications are now available for artists, crafters and artisan who want to be vendors at the festival's arts market. The application form is available online here. The application deadline is Aug. 1.

Keep The Festival Safe and Free: No Outside Food, Beverages or Pets
Like all of our events, the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival is completely free and open to the public - part of the community investment made by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. PLEASE: Except for those with small children or dietary restrictions, please do not bring outside food or beverages to the event - no coolers are permitted.

We realize that Lafayette Square is usually open to pets. But for the safety and comfort of our large audience, we ask that you respect your neighbors and leave your companion animals at home. Thank you.

If you would like to support the Foundation and help keep this event free, please make the tax-deductible contribution of your choice here.

VIP Backstage Passes - On Sale Now
To help recoup some of our costs, we are selling a very limited number (95) of special VIP backstage passes. These provide access to special viewing and seating areas at both stages, a complimentary bar and a deluxe hospitality suite with air conditioning and indoor bathrooms. The passes cost $250 each (plus a $13.49 service charge) and are available exlusively online - click here to order. Only 95 passes are being sold, so order yours today!

T-Shirt Design Contest
Once again, we are holding a contest to come up with a design for our t-shirt. Last year's winner was Naldo Adrian, a 28-year-old graphic designer in Jakarta, Indonesia. To enter the contest to design the 2013 Blues & BBQ Fest t-shirt, see here.

Abita Sports Bar
We are pleased to have The Abita Brewing Co. returning as a major sponsor of the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival - meaning that Abita (in various flavors) will be the official beer of the event. It's a Saints bye week, so we won't have the boys in gold and black to cheer on. But we'll still have our famous Abita Sports Bar, a great place to enjoy a beverage and watch all the weekend's sports action on several large-screen TVs.

Public Transit
Lafayette Square is conveniently located along the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line.

Parking
Easy parking is available at several surface and indoor parking lots within a few blocks of the festival. The Poydras Center (650 Poydras Street) will offer all-day parking on Saturday and Sunday for a flat fee of $7 per day -- enter the parking garage from Camp Street.

Free Bicycle Parking
In collaboration with our friends at Bike Easy, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting bicycle ridership, we’re offering free valet bicycle parking. Please ride your bike to the event, knowing that it’ll be safe and secure – and you won’t have to hassle with locking it to a telephone pole or worrying about somebody stealing your tires or seat.

On the Radio
Community radio station WWOZ 90.7 FM will broadcast most of the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival live from Lafayette Square – over the air and in streaming audio at www.wwoz.org.

Oral History Stage
As in years past, we will host an Oral History Stage where many of our performers will be interviewed about their lives, influences and music. The interviews will be open to the public, and will take place in the NORD Theater in the ground floor of Gallier Hall – just across St. Charles Avenue from Lafayette Square. Stay tuned for the interview schedule.

Food Vendors and Menu
Ready for some smokin' barbecue? Even if you thought we couldn't do better than last year, we've put together a menu of food featuring more traditional barbecue than ever, plus a wide assortment of local favorites, barbecue innovations, desserts and vegetarian options.

Art Market
Come to Blues & BBQ ready to shop. We've organized an expansive arts market - complete with its own Arts Market Cafe with interesting beverages.

CDs, T-Shirts and Autographs
As in the past, the Louisiana Music Factory will host our merchandise operation. Most of our performers will visit the tent to sign autographs immediately after their performances.

No Outside Food or Drinks
The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival is a free event. Please help us to keep this and our other events free by patronizing our food and beverage vendors. Except for those with specific dietary restrictions or special needs, we ask that you not bring outside food or beverages to the festival. No coolers or ice chests are permitted.

No Pets
We know that Lafayette Square is normally open to dogs. But not this weekend. Please come to the festival, but for the safety and comfort of our large audience we ask that you respect your neighbors and leave your companion animals at home. Thank you.

No-Chairs Perimteter
Due to the heavy use of camp chairs by many fans in close proximity to our stages, we are forced to institute a "no chairs" perimeter of 75 feet from both stages. We appreciate that many of you like to bring chairs to the festival and set up camp in front of the stages. But this prevents many of our other guests from having the opportunity to get a closer look at the onstage action. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

No Recording
Please, no audio or video recording of any performances at the festival.

The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival is a presentation of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The Foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest, and other funds, for year-round programs in the areas of education, economic development and cultural events. For more about the Foundation and what we do, visit us online at www.jazzandheritage.org.

The 2013 Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Louisiana Division of the Arts.

The 2013 Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival also is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. The grant is administered through the Arts Council of New Orleans.

Support is also provided by the Louisiana Office of Tourism. Plan your visit today at www.LouisianaTravel.com.