Weather For French Quarter Fest!!

At the French Quarter Festival, more than 150 musical acts perform on 20 stages over four days, making this the largest free music festival in the state. Given the setting and hyper-local music lineup, devotees also regard it as the most authentic, with an ear toward the globally influenced microcosm that is New Orleans’s music scene. The jam-packed lineup testifies to New Orleans’ brass band heritage, from Rebirth to Red Hot, T.B.C. to Treme. Sidewalk performers, elaborately outfitted revelers and casual passersby mark this de facto walking tour — and, often, parade — of Crescent City culture. Funk, Cajun zydeco, Latin, Dixieland and gypsy jazz, even klezmer punk rock, there’s something here to get everyone dancing in the streets. Literally.