NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - French Quarter Fest ended Sunday after four days, with organizers setting out to best over 40 years of fest history and make 2026 the fest to remember.
The fest promoted the 2026 event as the biggest and boldest yet, featuring 70 local food vendors selling 275 dishes, 20 stages, 302 performances by local musicians, and the newly opened Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park.
People who attended said the fest delivered on its promise of a bigger and better event this year.
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Sisters Larriane and Larrielle Schuster, from Westwego, are French Quarter Fest regulars who attend every year. They said the hype drew bigger crowds than they’ve seen before.
“It’s a lot more people. It’s a lot more people and there are also a lot of new restaurants that haven’t been here in the past years,” the sisters said.
Tourism officials estimate one million people are in town over the long weekend, with nearly every hotel room in the city booked.
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While admission is free, the food, drinks and shopping are not. More people mean more money for local businesses, even outside of festival grounds.
“This is one of the busiest ones I’ve seen. This is probably my fourth or fifth one since I’ve been here, so it’s good to see a lot of people out,” said David Barrett of Bike Taxi Unlimited.
Lisa Depriest of the Abita beer tent said the crowds are “a good boost for them to get sales up.”
French Quarter Fest sets the stage for Jazz Fest, which starts Thursday and continues over two long weekends.
“Usually it’s not immediately afterwards so it’ll be good to see it after that,” Barrett said.
Jazz Fest is expected to generate up to $400,000 in economic impact, with the potential for more thanks to the momentum of French Quarter Fest.
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