Gator by the Bay music festival brings the Bayou to San Diego
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This year's Gator by the Bay festival has expanded routes for parade lines. Photo: Jon Naugle
The Bayou is coming to San Diego this weekend.
Why it matters: Gator by the Bay, the city's annual Louisiana-style festival, draws thousands downtown for four days of live music, dancing, Cajun cooking and Mardi Gras parades.
State of play: The family-friendly festival features more than 100 live performances across seven stages with zydeco, blues, swing, rock and jazz artists in the lineup.
- Grammy winners Ozomatli and Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys are headlining along with Nathan Williams & The Zydeco Cha Chas.
- Nearly half of the performers are local artists, including rising country star Kimmi Bitter and other 2025 San Diego Music Awards winners Gregory Page, The Sleepwalkers, Johnny Vernazza and Robin Henkel.
Best bites: Mitch Olivier from Crawfish Corner is hauling in more than 10,000 pounds of crawfish straight from Louisiana for a spicy boil.
- Chefs will be cooking up other Creole and Cajun cuisine at an expanded French Quarter-style food court with po'boys, gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée and beignets.
- Plus, you can bring the flavor to your own kitchen with cooking classes and demos.
The big picture: The festival is growing with Events.com, the La Jolla-based company that purchased the Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival, presenting the 22-year-old event for the first time.
- Last year, it drew more than 13,000 people, a 10% increase from 2023, the Union-Tribune reported.
If you go: The event runs Thursday to Sunday at Spanish Landing Park near the airport.
- One-day tickets are $78-$88 (plus VIP and multi-day passes) and kids get in free.
- There are parking options, but ride shares are a smarter choice.
The bottom line: Laissez les bons temps rouler!