As Thanksgiving quickly approaches and with a bye week for the Saints, this weekend makes sure to take advantage of its prime timing. A rare chance to see the lavish art collections inside splendorous New Orleans homes, three distinct festivals celebrating the best of their respective themes and a parade of saucy women with towering headwear are the highlights of this weekend.
Friday, November 18:
1. Art Home New Orleans Launch Party – Start the weekend of art celebration at the Art Home New Orleans kickoff party at the New Orleans Museum of Art from 6-9 p.m. While enjoying lovely company, music and refreshments, find out how to cultivate and design your own home art collection. There will be a raffle for the Art Home tour tickets for Saturday and Sunday as well as for artist prints.
Saturday, November 19:
An Existential Sing Along at the Shadowbox Theater Thursday-Sunday for Fringe Fest (nofringe.org)
2. Fringe Festival– If you feel slightly to moderately uncomfortable at the New Orleans Fringe Fest, then the black sheep of theater events has done its job. How do you decide between some 70 odd shows bringing taboos and oddities onto the stage garnering giddy gasps from audiences? Five venues in the Marigny will have a constant string of shows and then many BYOVs will showcase DIY organized performances as part of the festival. Whichever play, dance, monologue or concert you decide to attend or simply stumble upon, it will no doubt be an enlightening and unusual experience.
3. Brewhaha – Who doesn’t like brews? To brew means to make slowly over time using a healthy dose of TLC. The yield is always a rich and delicious complexity of flavors – a quality New Orleanians like in their food and drink. Mid-City’s third annual Brewhaha on Bayou Road celebrates that very beverage making method from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Beer from NOLA Brewing, Abita, Lazy Magnolia, Bayou Teche; coffee and tea from Bayou Brew, Society of New Orleans Baristas and Coffee Roasters of New Orleans; and food from Crescent Pie & Sausage, Buttermilk Drop Bakery and Coco Hut are some of the vendors to look forward to. Musical entertainment will be provided by great local bands and Domino Sound DJs.
Sunday, November 20:
4. Po-Boy Fest– Arguably the best food festival in New Orleans, the Po-Boy Preservation Festival boasts over 40 different vendors of the official sandwich of New Orleans, meaning at least 40 creative spins on seafood, meats, cheeses and vegetables held together by Leidenheimer’s or some other French bread. If the massive po-boy tasting isn’t enough reason to go, there will be three stages of great local music and panel discussions on the history of the po-boy with the families who created it.
Last year's winner at the St. Catherine's Day Hat Parade (hatnola.com)
5. St. Catherine’s Day Hat Parade – Ladies: express your independence and march in the parade honoring the patron saint of milliners, seamstresses and unmarried women – St. Catherine of Alexandria. Inspired by the parade in France, it is tradition to come donning extravagant hats, but create-your-own-hat stations will be at the ready if you forget yours at home. The parade is B.Y.O.B.: Bring Your Own Bubbly, so bring some Champagne to put in coolers tended by the Chevaliers du Champagne. In keeping with the Parisian theme, famous French accordionist Norbert Slama will be playing with a backup band.
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