NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - With more than 300 musical acts across 21 stages, French Quarter Fest 2026 is expected to draw 1 million visitors eager to tune in to sounds throughout New Orleans’ most historic neighborhood.
Before the four-day stretch, musicians like Ovi Geron are putting in practice time to ensure they are in top form for all of their performances.
The LaPlace native and NOCCA graduate will perform with different bands and music styles throughout the festival, including Cha Wa and Victor Campbell, among others.
“We have four (gigs) on Saturday. Two on Friday,” Geron said. “(French Quarter Fest) makes it easy for us to do our job which is to make people happy, to entertain.”
Geron is mainly playing percussion for his festival gigs, but for his main act, he swaps the drums for the microphone when performing with his band OVI-G. It is a trio of local Latino musicians who play major pop hits over the decades and add their own Latino spin in both English and Spanish.
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“You’re going to hear music from Earth, Wind and Fire. You’re going to hear music from Phil Collins, Daft Punk. But you’re going to hear it in salsa. You’re going to hear it in bachata. You’re going to hear it in reggaetón,” he said.
Geron said he appreciates any opportunity to play at French Quarter Fest since it often leads to benefits for his musical career. He said local musicians who take the stage over the weekend see a boost in streaming numbers and local bookings, and even receive invitations to perform at other festivals out of state.
“I know I’m going to be overworked, but I know I’m going to be having fun every step of the way. There’s no way I’m going to be like, ‘Nah I don’t want to do it.’ Next year I want to do it more,” he said.
While many festivalgoers will pack the stages, just as many are expected to fill the lines of the 70 food vendors serving more than 200 unique dishes.
Among them is Vaucresson Creole Cafe & Deli, which has been at the festival in Jackson Square for decades.
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“We are one of the original vendors at French Quarter Fest,” Julie Vaucresson said.
The restaurant’s last day of business for the week was Wednesday, before staffers headed to the festival grounds for four straight days of selling their famous sausages. Vaucresson said she typically keeps 15 people at the booth to keep up with demand.
“It’s all hands on deck for the festival. We’re used to it,” she said.
Vaucresson said the festival is an annual opportunity for local restaurants to sell their best dishes to a steady flow of hungry customers. She said it helps promote their businesses to out-of-town visitors who may be eager to return for the same food on a future trip to New Orleans.
“We sell out every day. I can’t even thell you an amount. We go through tons of bread, tons of creole tomato, tons of sausage,” she said. “If you haven’t tried it you have to try it.”,
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