At Jazz Fest, you know the festival faithful will set up at their same spots, hoist the same flags, party with the same friends, maybe even don the same outfits.
No matter who is on stage year to year, New Orleans people bring their own ironclad rituals to the event, and of course, the food is in that number.
Jazz Fest regulars have their personal must-eat dishes, and first-time visitors have bucket lists of dishes they’ve heard all about. Some people know the first thing they’ll have heading in. Others plot which one they’ll have last as a final taste of the fest.
Say it with me now: it’s crawfish Monica and crawfish bread, Vaucresson sausage po-boys, Miss Linda’s yakamein, oyster patties, cochon de lait and trout Baquet.
This isn’t typical festival food. It is specifically Jazz Fest food. And one reason why rituals arise around these dishes is because they rarely change.
This approach is unique among local festivals. And it stands in contrast to the tempo of change around the city’s larger culinary scene, where so many new eateries and food trends dot the landscape.
Jazz Fest likes to describe the food line-up as curated, and they’re loath to fiddle with success. It’s also the nature of the logistical beast of feeding hundreds of thousands of people outdoors for eight days at the pace of grab-and-go pace of true street food.
Jazz Fest isn’t the place to look for lots of new food each year. It’s a place for flavor that resonates with Jazz Fest. But change has been growing even for Jazz Fest food.
Plenty of vendors have been at it for more than 20 years, others more than 30 years. These are mostly family-run businesses. The next generation is stepping up for some. But others have stepped away in recent years, reflecting the march of time. Jazz Fest has refreshed its ranks with newer restaurants bringing their own culinary styles.
Maybe new festival food traditions will take root around them. But for now, with so many classic back again, it’s time to savor the experience so many know as the flavor of the fest.
