The National Fried Chicken Festival has moved to next weekend, while the Fall Garden Festival at City Park is canceled. Rain in the forecast prompted both decisions. Still, New Orleans' weekend calendar is packed with parades, concerts, ballgames and stage shows.
Weather Forces a Reshuffle
Organizers made the call before a drop of rain fell. The fried chicken festival gets another weekend; the garden festival doesn't. Abita Fall Fest on the North Shore is scheduled for Friday only, and organizers say they're unsure about the event's future.
The people who run each event made those calls, and they're now weighing what comes next. Some have room to move. Others can't.
Parades, Pop-Ups and Private Productions
The Krewe of Krampus' Swampus walking parade starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and winds through the French Quarter. The krewe calls the Halloween procession a celebration of the "uniquely Southern spirit of Halloween in the Deep South." It centers on sustainable throws and handmade costumes. People with disabilities can use a dedicated viewing area.
The Skeleton House has returned to St. Charles Avenue for the season. At Big Couch, "Spicy Bits" is an improv comedy show in which performers take on increasingly difficult games as they eat progressively hotter hot sauce. NOLAxNOLA events appear at venues across the city.
There are free events, too. The Salon de Jeanne d'Arc conference takes place Saturday at the East Bank Regional Library. It covers Joan of Arc, medieval history, puppetry, food and military history, with a historical fencing demonstration included. A free Filipino cultural celebration at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, part of National Hispanic Heritage Month, features film, dance and live music. The George Porter Jr. Trio plays Double Dealer, and admission is free.
Football and the Concert Calendar
Sports fans have plenty to choose from. The Saints host the Falcons at the Dome for Monday Night Football. LSU plays McNeese at home. Tulane is off. Southern faces the University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff for homecoming.
Ticketed shows round out the live-music calendar. Tank & the Bangas perform with Dawn Richard and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra at the Orpheum. Comedian Terry Fator takes the stage at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Jose Madero plays House of Blues, while Icelandic indie-folk band Of Monsters and Men performs at the Civic.
Community theater is on the schedule as well. "My Fair Lady" runs at Westwego Performing Arts Theatre, and "Trolls Jr." plays Rivertown.
Why This Matters:
This weekend's guide offers a snapshot of a city whose culture depends largely on private initiative: krewes, venues, promoters, theaters and volunteer-run conferences. When rain shifts one festival and cancels another, the people behind the events make the calls and bear the consequences. Abita Fall Fest organizers' uncertainty about the event's future reminds us that even a long-running local tradition depends on those decisions. The guide also shows how the city's offerings, from free library lectures to ticketed Orpheum shows, rely on events organizers must keep viable one season at a time. Those decisions will help shape next year's calendar.