After permit dispute, Bayou Boogaloo returns for 2025

Catch up quick: Bayou Boogaloo was founded in 2005 as a fundraiser to support maintenance along the Mid-City waterway.

• But for years, organizers and local leaders have fielded complaints from some who live near the event's location along Bayou St. John.
• Those complaints tend to focus on parking issues, the fencing the festival installs for its event weekend, and trash buildup in the neighborhood.
• By this year's event, Councilman Joe Giarrusso told The Times-Picayune, he's gotten "more parking and ticketing complaints from Bayou Boogaloo than Jazz Fest."

The intrigue: A hold had been placed on the annual event's permit as neighbors and event organizers hashed out plans to address safety and neighborhood concerns, according to a statement released by Giarrusso on May 9.

• "No decision with Bayou Boogaloo happened overnight or in a vacuum," Giarrusso said. "We have met and talked with the festival and neighbors for years."

State of play: With the permit approved for 2025's festival, the location of future Bayou Boogaloo events is still murky.

• "Given the ongoing conversations, there will be a meeting this summer for anyone interested in discussing the festival," Giarrusso said in a statement.

If you go: The game is on for this weekend's event, May 16-18. Tickets.

• The fest includes music spread across three stages with headliners Honey Island Swamp Band, Big Freedia, and 420 Funk Mob ft. members of Parliament Funkadelic.
• Vendors hawking food, drinks, and arts and crafts will be there, too.
• And don't forget your kayaks or giant pool floaties. Attendees can catch the tunes — and the breeze — from the bayou. Boating rules.