Treme Creole Gumbo Festival

Excellent event! The event itself is free, and you purchase food, drinks and any merchandise you might want! We went on Sunday afternoon to see Hot 8 Brass Band and Rebirth Brass Band! They did not disappoint!! The festival also had a TV going with the Saints game on!!! One thing that stood out to me personally was that they did have seafood only and vegetarian options available! We did bring a blanket, although I would probably suggest a chair next time as the ground was a little damp. Catching an Uber home was also incredibly easy!

Lots of vendors and prices were reasonable. We happened to fly in today and I found out about the event from a nearby Starbucks! We got there at 6:40pm and it closed at 7:30pm. We definitely needed more time then that to sample all the tasty morsels. We got a gumbo that was delicious, crawfish nachos (not recommended) and a praline stuffed beignet from Lorettas praline. I had also wanted to try the peach cobbler with ice cream and a jambalaya, but the festival was over. The live music was nice and this was a free event to attend at the Louis Armstrong Park. I'd stay all day next time and do a gumbo crawl.

This is really a great value because it's free (donations accepted) and appropriate for all ages. The food can add up, but honestly, the prices I saw were less than I've seen at events elsewhere.Reading the event website and other reviews, it appears organizers have increased the number of food vendors and booths selling art, tee-shirts, crafts, CDs, etc. And early is definitely better. I got there around 11:30 on Saturday and the lines weren't bad. Around 12:30 the lines to get and remained really long. However, neither Voodoo (or Whoodoo - I've seen it as both) nor Palmer's Cuisine had any food ready on time. It was closer to noon when they started serving.I had the small ($3) chicken and sausage gumbo from Palmer's and a half-rack of ribs from Voodoo ($10). The gumbo was a bit watery and there were lots of chicken bones. The ribs were nice and smoky, but were covered in Whoodoo's spicy BBQ sauce. Little too much sauce for me, but that was easily remedied.I expected a lot from Tee-Eva's original praline and pecan pie. Both were fine but not the special stuff I heard they were.There's an ATM right inside the main gate, and many booths had signs saying they took cards. Cash only for food and drink, which includes alcohol. One reviewer suggested bringing your own beer, but organizers ask for no outside food or drink. Porta-potties are down past the last food booth. Even though the line moved fast, they still could have used several more units. There were two accessible units, but one was inexplicably locked and the other had little toilet paper available. If you live in New Orleans or are driving to this event, bring your own chairs or be prepared to sit on the ground, steps, etc., or fight for the few benches there are. Note to organizers: please, please, next year put out rows of folding chairs in front of the bandstand. You can leave room for people to stand. I saw so many people who had disabilities (locals and tourists, myself included) who really needed chairs to sit on. If they have places to sit, they'll stay longer, and spend more money.Wanted to visit the Backstreet Cultural Museum afterwards, which is only a few blocks away. Even though they were supposed to be open, I knew I should call first. I did and was told they were closed. Oh, well. Next time.

Fun event. Food was amazing. We only caught the last couple bands but they were great. It never ceases to amaze me how vendors at a festival can put out food at such a high quality. I had a few other dishes that didn't make it into the pictures but you couldn't go wrong no matter what you got.

Favorite Creole food: Gumbo. Favorite NOLA music: Brass bands. No way I'm missing this.Early Saturday afternoon we strolled around while the Paulin Brothers played and got some of Miss Linda's gumbo (very good) and yakamein (amazing!). Then we caught the last half of Leah Chase's cooking demonstration, and I quickly wished that she had run for president...what a wise and charming woman! And how on earth she threw together the wonderful elixir she passed out to the crowd in 45 minutes is beyond me! Dooky Chase is on the list for next trip for sure.The bands were all terrific, special shout out to the TBC, who I got to follow at the Sudan second line the next day. Sunday's big guns, Hot 8 and Rebirth, didn't disappoint, and emcee Kelder Summers-Jones' Mannequin Challenge was icing on the cake. I've already put in for that week off next year.

We bought the CUTEST hat here. It has ears and it's furry and I will wear it all the time. But that's neither here nor there. We wandered into this gumbo festival a little late so it was already crowded, lines were long, vendors were running out of stuff. Moral of the story: get there early! However, there was a good variety of food and a decent number of vendors, as well as Trombone Shorty and the Rebirth Brass Band. We hopped on some corn and cheddar shrimp n grits and two types of gumbo. THe seafood gumbo and grits were wildly delicious, full of flavor and hot hot. Then we stood in line for beer like suckers until we realized that this was New Orleans and we could just go buy beer. So, protip #2, go down to the corner store and pick up a couple.Last, definitely take a walk around the vendors. There are some really unique things there (unlike the french market) and we left with my new favorite hat and happy tummies.

How lucky were we that this festival was going on the weekend that we went to New Orleans? And that Richard Simmons happened to be there the same weekend so he showed up at the festival and jumped on stage?This is a very small festival with maybe 10 art vendors and only 4-5 gumbo vendors... but it's free to get in so I can't complain. Loved the seafood gumbo that I got but there weren't a whole lot of options (which is very surprising for a gumbo FESTIVAL) hence why I'm only giving it 3 stars.. "festival" is kind of a big word to use for what was more a concert in the square with some gumbo.

Had so much fun here. Chatted with a few new faces. Even found out about some local spots. Most of the lines were wayyyyy to long to stand in so we had to pick what we thought would be the best. I got some bomb ass ribs and the BEST gumbo I've ever tasted in my life. I seriously could've hurt myself on that gumbo The band playing music was fantastic and the individual vendors out had some really nice work out for sale. This is a must attend event.

Gumbo Festival 11/8-11/9/2014It's free but there are donation tables at the entrances. I believe it's from 11am-7pm. There were many people and more trickling in as afternoon hours went by. Long lines for food but it goes by fast. $5 beers and $2 coke/water. The jazz band is loud and fun. I don't have a picture but the $8 gator sausage taco was SO good. Little pricy but omg, it was so delicious. I had a good time! Go check it out and eat up!!!!!!

What a great time. The weather today was brilliant so the Girly and I decided to go to the Gumbo Festival even though she's not a fan of gumbo (I think it's the file'). We get there and the crowds are already there but everyone seems to have a very chill vibe. I knew that Ms Linda would be there and I had to get into her line. It was long. As a matter of fact, I believe it was the longest line all day (I think Carmo's with their vegan gumbo was the shortest [almost non-existant] and that made me happy). We got Ms. Linda's Seafood gumbo and the crab and shrimp dressing over eggplant. I NEED to figure out her recipe because I have to get more of that dressing in my life. Maybe over some green fried tomatoes? Ahem, but anyway. It seemed like SOMEONE was listening (reading) what I kept saying about charging too much when sometimes, we just want a little taste. I've said this so many times in the reviews of festivals, I'm hoping more of the importand people listen, SOMETIMES, we want a taste, not a meal. Sadly, they didn't QUITE listen well enough because while the "taste" was 3 bucks, it was a woefully small taste. $1 for a tiny bit would be fine. You make much more than it would ever cost and you get customers for your main line if it's worth anything.Don't cheat people who stand in line for 30 minutes to try your stuff. Better idea, make a taster line 1 buck and make it seperate from the main line where you get full portions. Simple, really. The music. If you ate nothing at this festival, the music will make your day. Just for the music, I'd suggest giving a good donation because they had live bands ALL day, every day and they were fantastic. Remember kids, most cities do not have the live music we do, be thankful and give them money and credit. Totally worth giving a donation at an entrance. I do miss the Pre-Katrina NOLA quite often because we were all more connected and many of the festivals were smaller and more affordable. But putting my own cheapness aside, this event made me remember how much I love my city and how much I miss living in the Marigny/Bywater before it became such a high-priced (over-priced) place to live. To quote that Cher chick, "If I could turn back time".CheersIf I did too many typoes, please let me know. I will change them. Thanks.