Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > aPril 05 > 2011
PAGE 31
32
Archbishop Gregory Aymond is IN. Are you? NolaImIn.com
2011-12 SEASON TICKETS 504-525-HOOP
CHARCOAL BROILED HAMBURGERS
IS AD &
MENTION TH
K
GET ANY DRIN
CHERRY, APPLE & PEACH
¢ FO R 99 LENT DURING
SERVING FOR LENT CRABCAKES & CATFISH AND SHRIMP PO-BOYS
500 CITY PARK AVE • 486-2559 2008 CLEARVIEW PKWY • 889-2837
CUBAN & MEXICAN FOOD PUERCO FRITO - $9.90 PORK FAJITAS - $8.00 ROPA VIEJA - $7.75
I DELIVER!
COUNTRY FLAME
620 IBERVILLE STREET • 522.1138 OPEN EVERYDAY ‘TIL 8:30PM
“comfort food incarnate”
Happy Hour Food and Drink Specials from 5-6:30pm 200 Julia St • 504-304-6318 www.feastneworleans.com
has fielded. The Latin and world music stage returns to the festival after a two-year hiatus. The House of Blues is sponsoring the new stage on the 100 block of Decatur Street. The stage featuring Cajun and zydeco music has been moved to the Canal Street side of the Aquarium of the Americas, where there is more room to accommodate the crowd. Dance lessons will be offered as well. “The Cajun and zydeco stage was so popular we needed a lot more room for the zydeco dancers,” Schramm says. As usual, stages are spread throughout the French Quarter, with several smaller stages along Royal and Bourbon streets. Music venues Preservation Hall and Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse will host music through the day and evening during the festival. Special events include the 15th Annual New Orleans International Music Colloquium, held at the Jazz National Historic Park with different seminars Friday and Saturday. On both of those nights, the documentary The Sound After the Storm, about local musicians dealing with post-Katrina recovery, will screen at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre. A crawfish-eating contest is scheduled Saturday at noon at the Old U.S. Mint. The festival closes Sunday evening with Dancing at Dusk, featuring big band standards from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s on the 400 block of Royal Street. A family and kids’ area is located on the riverfront. Activities include face painting, tai chi, karate and yoga for kids, activities presented by the Louisiana Children’s Museum, a collage project, music in the Kid’s Tent and more. The festival also is keeping up with technology via a new app for iPhone. (Forget your lighter? Don’t worry; the app has an encore flame feature). The French Quarter Festival iPhone app allows users to access live schedule updates, artist descriptions, a map detailing music, food and other activities, and it has a schedule-planning function. French Quarter Festival attendance has increased steadily post-Katrina, with last year’s more than half a million guests surpassing 2005 attendance numbers — and there’s an increasing percentage of out-of-town attendees. What’s next for the festival? Schramm says expanding into the Marigny or Armstrong Park is a possible next step. Visit www.fqfi.org for a full schedule of music and special events.