1) Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest is this weekend! All 3 days are free in Lafayette Square, courtesy of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation-- this is your Jazz Fest dollars at work! Jimmie Vaughan will be making his Blues & BBQ Fest debut, headlining Saturday night. Two accomplished female blues musicians will return to the Blues & BBQ stage-- Shemekia Copeland, who was named Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year at the Blues Music Awards in 2016 and Samantha Fish, who received the same honor this year and will headline the opening night on Friday, October 12. Keesha Pratt, winner of this year's International Blues Challenge, will also grace the stage at Lafayette Square for the first time this year. Also of note, 93-year-old Baton Rouge pianist (and 2018 WWOZ Piano Night performer) Henry Gray makes a return to Blues & BBQ in a special ensemble that features zydeco star Terrance Simien and stalwart R&B guitarist Paul "Lil Buck" Sinegal. Check out the full lineup here, and tune into WWOZ on Saturday and Sunday to hear our live broadcast from the festival! Broadcast and video stream schedule can be found here. 

2) Gentilly Fest is also happening this weekend at Pontchartrain Park playground, located at the corner of Press and Prentiss, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Performers include Rebirth Brass Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, Jr., New Breed Brass Band, Michael Ward, Regina Bell, and much more. There will be plenty of family-friendly activities, and fireworks on Saturday night starting at 8:30p. 

3) The 29th annual New Orleans Film Festival kicks off Wednesday! It's another groundbreaking year for the Oscar-qualifying festival, with 60% of films by female directors and 54% by directors of color-- and 80% from either a female director or director of color-- making it the most diverse lineup in the festival's history. 

4) Festivals Acadiens et Creoles is also this weekend. Head to Girard Park in Lafayette for four days of music, dancing, art, culture, and food. It all kicks off Thursday with an educational symposium and concert, and the festival has its "official" open on Friday with the cutting of the boudin at 5p. There will be live music on six stages, the Bayou Food Festival, Louisiana Craft Fair, cooking demonstrations, childrens' activities, jam sessions, and a Sports Tent. This year's performers include Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys 30th Anniversary with special guests, Pine Leaf Boys, Wayne Toups & ZydeCajun, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Feufollet, Rodie Romero & the Hub City All-Stars, and many more.

5) The 15th annual Voices of the Wetlands Festival is happening in Houma Friday through Sunday. Voice of the Wetlands was established in 2004 as a volunteer-based non-profit, focused on driving awareness about the loss of the wetlands in southern Louisiana. VOW was started by musician Tab Benoit who was born and raised in Houma, LA – one of the communities born of the wetlands. A coalition of local artists and business leaders recognized the urgency to save their homes and the culture of southern Louisiana. Voices of the Wetlands takes an active role in driving awareness to restore the wetlands from a local to a national level. The organization prides itself in maintaining a mission that addresses all aspects, causes and solutions. Performers at this year's event include Tab Benoit, Walter Wolfman Washington & the Roadmasters, Damon Fowler, Jonathan Long, Charlie Wooton, Chubby Carrier, Johnny Sansone, Mia Borders, and more.