NEW ORLEANS — An organization in New Orleans East is hoping you will grab the family and come celebrate this weekend at Joe W. Brown Park for the second annual NOLA East Festival.
On Wednesday, I caught up with the owners of Thai Nola on Bullard Ave as they prepared for the festivities. The Butlers are one of many vendors set to serve up food, products, and entertainment.
“You’ll get some authentic Thai cuisine, definitely some good creole cooking, and a lot of great interactions with New Orleans East natives,” said Owner Gerald Butler.
The New Orleans East Matters coalition and Friends of Joe W. Brown Park are putting on the festival for the second year.
“Just a beautiful list of entertainment, arts and crafts, beautiful vendors, local cuisine. You name it we are going to have it,” said Tangee Wall, President of New Orleans East Matters.
Wall says they had a great turn-out last year of nearly 3,000 people and they hope this year that number will double.
“It’s about the people,” said Wall. “It’s about the neighborhoods coming together to enjoy a festival in their own backyards.”
Wall says the festival is priority number one in their quest to rebrand the east.
“We have suffered with the stigma of being a negative in terms of crime and we do realize that crime is everywhere,” said Wall. “We do have issues with that. We want to ensure that with this festival that the good, the neighborhoods, the businesses, the schools the churches and folks visiting, that they get a very beautiful view of what the east truly has to offer.”
The festival is Saturday Sept. 16, it’s free and open to the public.
RELATED: Jazz Fest adding 8th day in 2024