Springtime in New Orleans is synonymous with Festival season.  This week we celebrate the upcoming 30th annual French Quarter Festival, taking place April 11th-14th. On today’s program, we listen to musical highlights from the Festival recorded by WWOZ over the years.  Alongside music, we interview both the first excutive director of the festival, Sandra Dartus, and Marci Schramm, who directs the Festival now.    

In addition to that, we’ll meet up with one of the Festival’s original food vendors, Vance Vaucresson of Vaucresson's Sausage Company, to hear about his family’s Creole Sausage making, which started in 1899.  We’ll also preview a new food vendor for this year’s festival, Dreamy Weenies.

Now that we know you can't wait for the food at French Quarter Fest, let's bring it back to the music. Take a look at these beautiful shots of several performers at last year's festival captured by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee. You can find more of Ryan's photos at RHRphoto.com.