Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo adds floating brass band stage, ticketed bayou access for 2022

NEW ORLEANS (NOLA WEEKEND) - The 2022 Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo will have some new things in store for festival-goers when the event returns to its old location along the banks of Bayou St. John from May 20 to May 22.

Festival organizers announced several updates for the annual three-day neighborhood festival for its 16th year, including a new floating brass band stationed in Bayou St. John.

The new floating stage, called the Brass Barge, will feature a lineup of some of the city’s best brass bands, organizers said. The Chosen Ones Brass Band, L.B. Landry High School’s Brass Band and the 2022 winners of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation’s “Class Got Brass” Competition, is one band scheduled to perform.

Organizers also announced other new lineup additions including New Orleans burlesque troupe Inferno Burlesque and guitarist Joshua Starkman and Friends, featuring Gabrielle Cavassa and Sabine McCalla. This year, more than 30 acts are scheduled to perform, including The Soul Rebels, Maggie Koerner, Ani DiFranco, Chapel Hart, Dragon Smoke and others.

For the first time, Bayou Boogaloo will host food trucks on the Dumaine Street side of the festival, including Da Grill Master and Southerns, who will serve their popular fried chicken sandwich. Several other food vendors make their festival debut including Mid-City vegan spot Soulé Cafe, Mid-City burger joint Bub’s Burgers, gourmet hot dog spot Dat Dog and St. Claude restaurant Jamaican Jerk House.

For 2022, organizers also make new rules about festival entry. This year, everyone who enters Bayou Boogaloo must have a ticket – including those who come in on the bayou.

There will be two bayou entrances, one at Dumaine and one at Toulouse, for people with boats, barges and other watercrafts, and all attendees – both on and off land – must pass through metal detectors.

Attendees with large barges can pre-register their barges, pay a security deposit and sign up for a predetermined time to assemble their barges ahead of the festival for easier and quicker entry.

Other updates for this year include expanded kids’ programming, including a silent disco, drumming workshops, dance performances and an arts and crafts tent. The festival invites children to come get creative and join Upturn Arts on Saturday and Art Camp504 on Sunday beginning at noon for fun activities, take-home accessories and a group mural. Nurse Nikki will also be returning to host the Baby Changing and Feeding Tent — a comfortable, shady space for tending to the little ones.

Bayou-side yoga classes also return, along with a full-fledged return of the curated arts market featuring 60 artists and designers.

Three-day general admission tickets, with re-entry privileges, cost $45 and will increase to $55 on May 15. Single-day tickets for Saturday and Sunday cost $20 and will increase to $30 on May 15. Single-day Friday tickets cost $10 and will increase to $15 on May 15. VIP passes are also available for purchase.

Tickets can be purchased online via Bayou Boogaloo’s ticketing website.

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