National Fried Chicken Festival turns up to turn 10
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Fried Chicken Fest is Oct. 2-4. Photo: Courtesy of Fried Chicken Festival
When the first Fried Chicken Festival opened its gates, founder Cleveland Spears found himself "hoping and praying 10,000 people would show up."
Why it matters: The event blew his goal out of the park and the fest celebrates its 10th birthday with its biggest music lineup yet, even after a stretch of bad weather pushed its start back by a week.
The big picture: Over the past decade, the National Fried Chicken Festival shifted from a single day in Lafayette Square Park to a three-day weekend at New Orleans Lakefront.
- That was by design, Spears says, and despite the massive wrench thrown in by the COVID pandemic.
What he's saying: "After the first one in 2016, the public response was so overwhelming, that's where we thought it could be a large, multiday festival," Spears tells Axios New Orleans.
- "And we're going to spend the next 10 years making it bigger."
- The goal, Spears adds, is for the National Fried Chicken Festival to be an annual fall destination for visitors from across the country. "That's the journey we're on," he says.
Zoom in: But getting there begins by getting year 10 right. The weather threw a wrench into those plans last week when the original start date of Oct. 2 got pushed to Oct. 9.
- Still, the event plans for a full slate of participating restaurants and a first-time run at hosting national headlining acts to draw more crowds.
- This year's lineup includes 2 Chainz, Keri Hilson, the Ying Yang Twins, Webbie and A-Trak, plus a performance by Big Freedia with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
- The lineup originally included Nelly and Dillon Francis, too, but they had to cancel once the new dates were announced.
- The fest also expanded its kids' entertainment through a partnership with the Louisiana Children's Museum.
Also back this year is the fest's Saturday morning waterfront 5k, which Spears says is an intentional part of the programming for an event dedicated to deep-fried eating.
- "We should make some attempt to celebrate food culture while staying focused on health and wellness," he laughs.
If you go: Tickets are sold daily or for the weekend.
- Kids 12 and under get in free.