I can’t be blamed if you read this post and instantly book a trip to New Orleans this summer! Seriously though, one of my favorite things about living in the New Orleans area is festival fun on the weekends. As soon as the warm weather (which is almost 365 days a year) hits, my family and I are plotting which NOLA outdoor festivals we want to hit.
This year Toyota USA sponsored our annual French Quarter Festival experience. If you’re not familiar with French Quarter Fest, it’s the largest outdoor, free festivals in the South and highlights area bands, local flavors and gives locals and tourist a glimpse of what New Orleans has to offers guests.
The fact that Toyota sponsored our trip this year is huge! My daughter is 16 years old and her learner’s permit will become a full fledged driver’s license NEXT month. Pray for me! I’m looking at vehicles now to upgrade my minivan with a more fuel efficient vehicle which is what the Toyota Prius Prime Plus is. With a EPA estimate of 640 miles and a EPA estimate EV Mode range of 25 miles it’s perfect for any traveling family, including ours. Be sure to check back because I’ll talk more about the Toyota Prime Plus in our next post.
You couldn’t ask for better #FQF2017 weather this year! April & early May are great for traveling because the heat is comfortable for outdoor festivities and it’s not to hot to EAT! For my out of towners, French Quarter Festival is a 4 day festival celebrating New Orleans and originally started in 1984 following the 1984 Worlds Fair.
This year the festival has 23 stages and features just about every genre you can think of. Last year over 700K people attended French Quarter fest and by the looks of the food, you can see why!
I gained 5 lbs that weekend and another 2 lbs just writing this post! My favorite items this year were Mrs. Wheat’s Cajun Mini Crawfish Pies which is perfect as a grab and go food option and super affordable at $6 a pie at most local festivals. I’m also a huge Voodoo Shrimp fan from House of Blues. The shrimp reduction sauce is KILLER!
We also had gyros (not pictured) and muffulettas from Central Grocery which filled our bellies in between band changes. good thing the music stages are spread throughout the French Quarter, that gave us the opportunity to walk around the Quarter and burn a few calories before heading home.
If you’re considering an outdoor festival New Orleans has a ton you might be interested in. French Quarter Fest employs over 1,700 local musicians and hosts over 70 different local restaurant which adds to the economic impact the festival contributes to. Next year French Quarter will April 12-15th, 2018. If you’re thinking this summer, try Sathchmo Summerfest which occurs August 3rd-6th, 2017.
See you there!
This post is sponsored by Toyota USA.
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