Summer is here New Orleans, that’s for sure. But it’s also another season I look forward to each year, and that’s the second spring festival season, the second half, when things get really local. Of course food is in the forefront.
I’m making plans, and I’m thinking back too. Five years ago, when we were in the thick of the pandemic, I remember how beautiful the weather was through the spring, just perfect for all the festivals that… we could not have. I told myself not to take any part of our New Orleans life for granted when things returned to normal.
Are we normal now? Sometimes I wonder. But I do find myself thinking back to that spring. I told myself I’d appreciate full dining rooms and our easy going neighborhood bars and music venues as social expressions and cultural stages. And I said, I’d embrace our local festivals, the smaller ones built around local food and New Orleans communities.
Nothing says community like Greek Fest, which feels like a family reunion built around Greek food and drink. It’s back this weekend on Bayou St. John, near the lake, marking its 50th anniversary with lots of lamb, the return of feta fries and some ouzo lemonade between all the dancing and exclamations of opa!
Next up, in early June, the historic French Market draws people to the Quarter with its Creole Tomato Festival celebrating a summer harvest good enough to beat the heat.
Then, in mid-June, there’s the return of the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience -- which spells out its theme in its name, with local food getting equal billing between wines of the world.
Our chefs, musician and artists represent New Orleans culture all over the world. What gives that culture its depth is the way New Orleans people throw themselves into it; we’re active participants in our culture, it’s how we live. One way that happens is through our festivals, and we’re lucky to have them as easy ways to take part right in our backyards.
