Bayou Boogaloo
May 18-20, 2012

When: May 18-20, 2012 Where: Along Bayou Saint John at Orleans Ave. and N. Jefferson Davis Pkwy. Cost: FREE! More Info: Click Here

Photos by Ben Barnes www.benbarnes.com

Hank Williams said it best in one of his most famous songs: "Gonna have big fun on the bayou!" And so will you when you come out to Bayou St. John in New Orleans' Mid-City neighborhood for the annual Bayou Boogaloo on the weekend of May 18-20.

This FREE (!) outdoor festival along the placid waterway once known as "the back door to New Orleans" just keeps growing and getting bigger and better each year. Last year's event drew more than 20,000 people. Like most New Orleans festivals, it offers visitors and locals alike a chance to sample yummy local food, listen to some of the city's top music bands on three stages and view (and hopefully purchase) some fabulous works by local artists and artisans.

Off the beaten path but scenically situated in one of the oldest sections of New Orleans, Bayou St. John was once the city's "back door." Until the early 20th century, boaters could travel to within a mile of the business section of New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain and take public transportation the rest of the way in. The bayou is now cut off from the lake but the present-day waterway is still ideal for small non-motorized boats, rubber rafts, canoes and kayaks and it's also a great place to have a party.

Rain or shine, this event goes on! Here are just a couple of the uniquely fun events scheduled so far:

• Saturday, May 19
  Fourth Annual Zulu Anniversary Run to Ride 5K Race. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, one of New Orleans' preeminent Mardi Gras parading groups, will run through Mid-City to the festival site. This year's race will again feature post-race festivities with King Zulu and the Bayou Boogaloo Pub Crawlers. The top three finishers in each age group will receive prized Zulu coconuts.
  
  
• Sunday, May 20
  Third Annual Rubber Duck Derby. Second Harvest Food Bank hosts this event, during which participants adopt rubber ducks and drop them into Bayou St. John for a race to the finish line. The "lucky duck" winner wins a fabulous prize. Last year more than 10,000 rubber ducks competed.

The festival features three live music stages, both acoustic and electric with a wide variety of musical genres including New Orleans roots in Blues, Jazz, Funk, Cajun, Zydeco, Latin, Brass, Country, Alternative, Hip Hop and Rock. This year's musical lineup, as of mid-April, includes 30 well known local bands. For a complete list of performers click here: www.thebayouboogaloo.com/music.

The entire festival is free and open to the public. Large portions of the proceeds from sales at the festival go toward charitable organizations and events. For a schedule of events and other information, go to the festival's website at www.thebayouboogaloo.com.