Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival
New Orleans, LA
June 12-14, 2009

People attending the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival in the French Quarter are in luck. They get not one festival, not two festivals, but three festivals – a festival trifecta – all in close proximity, all free of charge.

The Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival, held each June at the Old U.S. Mint in the historic French Quarter, spans three days of unparalleled Cajun and Zydeco music. Regular performers include Grammy winners Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet and Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience. Other past performers include Louisiana favorites like the Lost Bayou Ramblers and Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys.

Many fest-goers will be intrigued by the site of the festival. The Old U.S. Mint is home to the largest collection of early and modern jazz artifacts in the city. Also on display are old coins minted at the facility when it was still operational, and artifacts from when the city was under French and Spanish rule.

The Mint also hosts the Louisiana Seafood Festival on the same days, so Cajun-Zydeco Festival attendees can enjoy dishes prepared with some of Louisiana’s most popular ingredients: its crabs, shrimp, crawfish, oysters, redfish, trout, catfish and other seafoods.

Meanwhile, the Creole Tomato Fest is under way at the nearby French Market, which dates back to 1791 and is the nation’s oldest city marketplace. For more than 20 years, the Creole Tomato Festival has celebrated this unique Louisiana vegetable, which adds so much to so many local recipes. There, you’ll find more live music, cooking demonstrations, a parade, homegrown produce items, and a variety of dishes prominently featuring the beloved Creole tomato prepared by some of the city’s most renowned chefs.

2009 dates: June 12-14 (2010 dates: June 11-13)

Admission: Free

Directions: The Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival takes place at the Old U.S. Mint, located where Esplanade Avenue meets the Mississippi River in the French Quarter. Heading into the city from the east on I-10, take the Elysian Fields Avenue exit (exit 237). At the bottom of the exit ramp, take a left onto Elysian Fields. Follow Elysian Fields about 1.5 miles to its end, veering right onto North Peters Street. Take the first right onto Esplanade Avenue. The Mint will be on your left. Heading in from the west on I-10, take the Esplanade Avenue exit (exit 236A). The ramp will put you down onto North Claiborne Avenue, where you’ll take your first right onto Esplanade Avenue. Proceed on Esplanade for about a mile. Upon nearing the end of Esplanade, you’ll see the Mint on your right.

For more information, visit www.jazzandheritage.org/cajunzydeco/

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