Beignet Fest

It was such a joy to attend Beignet Fest 2024, especially with this being my first one ever! We arrived around noon and parking was scarce around City Park, so we had a short trek and got our steps in while we reached the entrance. I do wish there had been more signs around, but perhaps we just entered from the wrong side (the park is huge anyway)!Once we got closer there were plenty of signs indicating which way to go and many also had QR codes so you could buy tickets in advance, which is what we did. Security went by quickly and it was easy to scan our tickets in a separate line they had for people who had already bought tickets (as opposed to buying tickets at the front counter). In the fest itself, they had plenty of food, drinks, treats, gifts, and activities! Additionally, it was well sorted and organized: there was a stage in the center with food and beverages on one side and gifts/local businesses on the other side. They also had a kid corner with tons of games and music to keep younger ones entertained. There were tables and umbrellas/tents scattered around the area, and while there were a lot of people present, it didn't feel too crowded or pushy (except maybe around the food/drink lines). I got a lemonade (it was hot, sunny, and blazing out!), along with beignet donuts, alligator egg rolls, and loads of goodies from the artists and local shops. 10/10 a fun time, yummy food, and a great activity to do with friends. I'll definitely be back again next year!

This was our first visit to the Beignet Fest (16 November 2024) - we traveled from out of town to attend and had an absolute blast! The park was beautiful with a large lake for scenic views and a nice walking/bike trail. The weather was perfect with multiple vendors selling food, artwork, jewelry, soaps, etc. Everyone was SO welcoming. We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment line up and appreciated how the bands involved the crowds - we will attend again!!

I went to the festival around 2pm. I'm not that familiar with City Park so at first it was hard to find the area that the festival was held at. Upon entry the line to get tickets to purchase food was not long at all. We decided to walk around first before purchasing tickets. I'm glad that we did. The lines were long! Loretta's Pralines seemed to have one of the longest lines. We decided to visit the actual location in the French market. There were other vendors selling clothing and other things. There was also an area that had crafts for the kids that was pretty much empty at the time we got there. We didn't stay long but will visited earlier in the morning the next time.

This year the fest was held at city park on a slightly overcast day. We came around 2:30 and it was not too crowded...maybe we missed the rush, maybe the clouds scared people away. There was no line to get tickets. I bought $40 worth which got us a cocktail (they had 4 specialties- I loved the honey apricot mule) water, 4 orders of beignets and a bowl of jambalaya. I thought it was a little pricey, but I'm hoping most of it goes to the selected foundation, which supports children with developmental delays, so I didn't mind. The lines were ~30-50 people deep, but most moved quickly. We did wait 30 min for the award winning bacon beignet from howling wolf, as they had to go get more bacon.... but tag teamed with some friends to still try others while we waited. My big shout out goes to old school eats in the big red bus and their blackberry and cream beignets....so delicious!I would completely recommend going, it looks like they learned a lot from last year. My only hope is that they continue to add more food and craft vendors.

AVOID A CHICKEN FEST DISASTER: GO EARLY!I purposely ended my long Saturday run (with black go bag in my pocket) at the Beignet Fest. At 9:30 AM there were no lines and I was able to scope-out and price my food. Good thing because within 20 minutes the place was teeming (pics).THINGS TO KNOW:1. Food Tickets only. It helped to know what I was going to eat in advance and purchase accordingly.2. Beignets $3 to $9, Beers $5-$6.3. Proceeds benefit children with developmental disabilities.FIRST YEAR SNAFUS BUT DARN GOOD FOOD:Yeah the queues grew long and jumbled together but even if you ended up in the wrong line the end product was usually delicious. Savory beignets that were worth the wait:- Shrimp & Crab Beignets (2 for $9) from Yaka Mein.- Maspero's Beignet Fries ($3).- Cheddar & Bacon with Chipotle Cream from Howlin Wolf (6 for $6).

My daughter wanted to attend this because she's all about some beignets...Me? I'm not a festival fan but hey I figured some quality time with the kids so we'll do it...Didn't last long with our attendance...Set up was horrible...the organizers jammed all the vendor tents cheek by jowl on one side of Lafayette Square and it led to a huge milling crowd standing around in front of all the food tents...couldn't see what any of the vendors were offering, couldn't tell if you were in the proper line, didn't know where the lines began, started, ended or anything....basically looked like people fighting for front of the stage location at a music festival...I love beignets but not enough to put up with this disorganized insanity...too many other places to go to in NOLA for beignets without the madness...Next year the organizers need to take this tip and spread vendors out throughout the square...pretty sure it would lessen the traffic jam that epitomized this year's effort and actually allow folks to enjoy being there...and if they can't do that they need to find a better locale...Biggest disappointment for me was the disappointment of my daughter...so being a good Dad I found a couple that were at the end of the ticket line and sold them my tickets, grabbed the kids and we went to Cafe du Monde...this let the daughter get her beignets and experience a quick moving line as well as her first time at the Cafe...So while the Beignet Fest was a bust as far as I'm concerned the day still turned out to ultimately be a great experience for me and my kids with our off the cuff change in plans...