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Client (contracted through a third party) Project
Copy Festival Food At most festivals, dry hamburgers and soggy hot dogs are what's on the menu. Never at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival! Many regular Festivalgoers will cheerfully admit that, while they enjoy the music, their main draw is all the delicious and unique foods to sample. In the middle of the Fair Grounds, rows and rows of stalls with rustic, wooden facades are set up to sell two or three items each, and no single item is repeated twice. The "Heritage" in the Jazz Fest's official title, means that even the cuisine on offer is meant to celebrate Louisiana. There's alligator pie and pecan catfish meunière, crawfish Monica and crabmeat-stuffed shrimp, oysters on the half shell and soft-shell crab po' boys. The festival even hires tasters to make sure each dish meets high standards for quality and flavor before it is approved for sale. (Nice work if you can get it.) Just like with the wide range of music at the Fest, the diverse food offerings will excite and intrigue all sorts of tastes, especially those seeking flavor and adventure. Some new items this year will include iron skillet cornbread, Creole hot tamales, trout Baquet, and Creole filé gumbo. Vegetarians can try the fried green tomatoes, veggie red beans & rice, fried eggplant with marinara, spinach artichoke casserole, and much more. In all, more than 60 carefully chosen vendors sell over 150 items, so be sure to arrive on an empty stomach. Crafts, Villages, and Marketplaces Crafts started appearing at Jazz Fest in the early '70s with a just handful of artisans. Renowned, self-taught painter Sister Gertrude Morgan had her folk art on display as did acclaimed, high-end jewelry designer Mignon Faget. Currently, tents and booths around the Fair Grounds feature the work of more than 300 artists and artisans. Frequent demonstrations educate about craft making techniques and keep old artistic traditions alive. The artists and their wares are grouped at four distinct "villages." Near the Congo Square stage, where African-American, African, Caribbean, and South American musicians perform, is the Congo Square African Marketplace. Original paintings, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, musical instruments, and an array of handcrafted artworks are for sale. Of course, browsing is encouraged as well. Contemporary Crafts is a nationally recognized showcase of alluring handcrafted clothing, beautiful leather goods and hand-blown glass, along with a brilliant array of paintings, photographs, sculptures and irresistible jewelry. The Native American Village focuses on the heritage of Louisiana's indigenous peoples. Here you can listen to the melodious sounds of traditional flute music as you relax under the shade canopy of a palmetto-thatched chickee. Enjoy traditional drumming and singing by Southeastern dance and pow wow troupes. Watch demonstrations of basket weaving and woodcarving by Louisiana's tribal elders and their apprentices. In the Louisiana Marketplace, the state's finest traditional and contemporary artists display hand-colored photographs, pine needle baskets, whimsical jewelry, and other creations that evoke the state's unique cultural history. |
