The infield of the Fair Grounds is getting ready for a festival, but it’s not the one you may imagine.
There’s a new festival on the busy New Orleans schedule: events planned for Saturday mark the 100th running of the Louisiana Derby. Fair Grounds President Tim Bryant says the one-day celebration may be more than a one-time party.
“If this works out, and like we think it will, we’re hoping that this is the beginning of a long-term festival that we can have and tie in with the Derby.”
The Fair Grounds is hosting the infield party along with the day’s racing, which starts at 1 p.m. The Derby will run at 5:45 p.m. Music will begin at 2 p.m. with Flow Tribe, and Cowboy Mouth will headline after the Derby. Food trucks will be on hand throughout the day. Bryant says the Derby party also shows that the Fair Grounds can offer more than just horse racing, but it has limits.
“We also are mindful of the neighborhoods that surround us and we don’t want them getting to the point that they think we’re overdoing it. There’s a lot of ordinances involved with the Fair Grounds right now so we’re limited and we can only do certain things during live meets and during — when it’s not the live meet and it’s not Jazz Fest we can’t really have outdoor activities.”
Later Tuesday morning organizers of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival gathered at the Fair Grounds to release details of performance schedules for the Jazz Fest that begins in a month.
