The French Quarter Festival began in 1984 to bring locals back to the French Quarter. It worked and today it is the largest free music festival in Louisiana. To this day it remains the “locals’ Jazz Fest.” They only book local musicians, making it the best place to see the who’s who in New Orleans music– for free.
This year the festival has added another day. Thursday was local’s lagniappe (french creole for small gift) day. The full schedule is available here.
My personal picks for the festival:
Sat 3:45 @ Stage 3: Honey Island Swamp Band
Sat 5:30 @ Stage 15: Battle of the Bands (ft. Old Style New Orleans Jazz Bands)
Sat 7:45 @ Stage 2: Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
Sun 11:00 @ Stage 1: Panorama Brass Band
Sun 2:45 @ Stage 4: Treme Brass Band
Sun 5:30 @ Stage 2: Big Sam’s Funky Nation
Sun 5:30 @ Stage 9: Astral Project
Check out this performance from Anders Osborne and Bonerama from last year’s festival.
See you there and laissez les bons temps rouler!
NOLAbeings Multimedia artist Claire Bangser created NOLAbeings as a portrait-based story project that marries... 
Voodoo in New Orleans: Reviving history: New Orleans fortune telling This article takes a deep dive into the history of Voodoo in New Orleans, its hybridization with Catholicism, and its present-day place in the city's culture. The author visits fortune-tellers in the French Quarter, using their guidance as a tool for introspection rather than a deterministic predictor of the future. Through her experiences in New Orleans, the author feels a mystical connection to both the past and the future. 