NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 29:  Tab Benoit performs during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on April 29, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)

Weekend Picks: Blues and BBQ Fest, New Orleans Film Fest, Reggae Fest

by Mary Staes | October 16, 2019

Here are our weekend picks for Oct. 18-20:

Fri. Oct. 18, 2019

What: 11th Annual Mid-City Porch Crawl
When: 6 p.m. – midnight
Where: NOLA Craft Culture
Price: $25 – 55

This porch crawl provides Mid-City residents the opportunity to meet neighbors and enjoy food and drink from over a dozen Mid-City restaurants and bars. Participating revelers will stroll the neighborhood, visiting beautiful and unique Mid-City porches. Costumes are encouraged for the festive Halloween themed event. Click here for tickets and more information. 

NOLA Craft Culture
Getting there
127 S Solomon St, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA
Hours
Mon Closed
Tue-Sat 10 AM – 6 PM
Sun 12 – 6 PM
More Info
(Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)

What: Blues and BBQ Fest
When: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Lafayette Square
Price: Free to attend

This festival features two stages of music, a dozen vendors of the best BBQ in the region and a huge arts market. Houma native and blues guitarist Tab Benoit is closing out the show Friday night. Click here for more information. 

Lafayette Square
Getting there
S Maestri St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
Hours
Mon-Sun Open 24 hours
More Info

What: 2019 Nola Reggae Fest
When: Gates open at 5 p.m.
Where: Congo Square
Price: $5

The two day festival features more than 40 vendors and 20 musical acts across two stages in the park. Click here to see the full lineup. 

Congo Square
Getting there
701 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA
Hours
Mon-Sun 8 AM – 7 PM
More Info

Sat. Oct. 19, 2019

What: New Orleans Film Festival
When: Oct. 16 – 23
Where: Various venues
Price: Click here for ticket prices

This eight-day festival brings together more than 200 films from local and national filmmakers. Saturday has a mix of free screenings (in case you’re a movie lover on a budget) but the centerpiece film will be “Burning Cane,” starring Wendell Pierce and directed by NOCCA graduate Philip Youmans. Click here for our guide to the fest and to get tickets. 

Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans
Getting there
900 Camp St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
Hours
Mon 11 AM – 5 PM
Tue Closed
Wed-Sun 11 AM – 5 PM
More Info

What: Boo Carre Halloween Haunt
When: 10:30 a.m.
Where: French Market
Price: Free

Live music, trick-or-treating, and fun for the kiddos is going down in Dutch Alley this Saturday. Kids will receive a free reusable French Market tote while supplies last. Click here for more information. 

Sun. Oct. 20, 2019

What: Dog yoga with Zeus Rescues
When: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: New Orleans JCC
Price: Free

“Doga,” as some call it, is a fun opportunity for both human and canine yogis to enjoy a relaxing (but possibly slobbery!) practice. This class will take place under the Bart Family Pavilion next to the fitness entrance on Leontine Street. This class is free and open to the community, but registration is required. Click here to sign up! 

New Orleans JCC - Uptown
Getting there
5342 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA
Hours
Mon-Thu 5:30 AM – 9 PM
Fri 5:30 AM – 6 PM
Sat-Sun 8 AM – 6:45 PM
More Info
(Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)

What: House on Haunted Hill at the Prytania 
When: 10 a.m.
Where: Prytania Theatre
Price: $6

Check out this Halloween classic staring Vincent Prince, who plays an eccentric millionaire that offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, house party overnight with him and his wife. Click here to buy a ticket.

Prytania Theatre
Getting there
5339 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA
Hours
Mon-Sun 10 AM – 12 AM
More Info

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Mary Staes

Mary Staes

Mary Staes is Digital Content Lead for Very Local. She works with our freelancers and crafts content for our social media platforms and website. Before Very Local, she worked with CBS affiliate WWL-TV as a web producer and weekend assignment editor for about 4 years. She has also handled broadcast coverage for 160 Marine Reserve training facilities while she served as an active duty Marine. As a native New Orleanian, she takes being "very local" to heart. She loves being intertwined with the culture and figuring out how there are less than two degrees of separation between us all, whether we're natives or not.

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