Cracking Shells at the NOLA Crawfish Festival

New Orleans is home to dozens of annual festivals occurring throughout the year. The inaugural NOLA Crawfish Festival will be held April 25–27, offering visitors some classic Louisiana cuisine. It takes place alongside the city’s renowned New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the French Quarter Festival.

The NOLA Crawfish Festival will take place at the NOLA Brewing Tap Room from 3–10 p.m. each day. The festival will feature more than 5,000 pounds of boiled crawfish made by Chris “Shaggy” Davis, known to locals as the NOLA Crawfish King. A crawfish cook-off will occur during the three-day event. Twenty teams will compete for the best crawfish boil. New Orleans celebrities will judge the competition. In addition to the fantastic grub, guests will be delighted by musical performances throughout the festival.

Single-day and three-day general admission passes are available. Admission includes one beer and a guaranteed minimum of two pounds of crawfish. Purchase a single-day VIP pass for special entrance without a wait to the event, additional food and drink items and private patio bar access. The three-day VIP pass includes all of the perks of the single plus a daily meal ticket, complimentary event t-shirt and a 50 percent discount to select Jazz Festival events. Ticket pricing starts at $35.

A portion of ticket-sale proceeds go to the Brett Thomas Doussan Foundation, a local organization raising awareness about mental health issues.