2nd Annual New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival November 23, 2008

Successful Celebration to be Twice the Size of Last Year

Thousands of New Orleanians will celebrate the city’s most famous sandwich.

The Festival will be held in a five-block section of Oak Street between Carrollton Avenue and Leonidas Street. Intersection is accessible by streetcar.

This festival was founded as a celebration of the storied sandwich and the role it has played in New Orleans’ culinary culture. The festival also highlights the ongoing revitalization of the Oak Street business corridor, which was designated a National Main Street in 2006 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and a Louisiana Main Street by the Department of Historic Preservation, which authorizes the program.

Proceeds from the festival go toward the Oak Street Association’s work to promote, preserve, and revitalize Carrollton’s historic Oak Street neighborhood and commercial corridor. A portion of proceeds will go to benefit and further the restoration of Ladder 7 Fire Station at 2430 S. Carrollton Avenue.

The first New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival was held last year and featured po-boy offerings from some of the city’s most famous restaurants. Festival judges, including Tom Fitzmorris of “The Food Show,” presented the “Golden Loaf Awards” for the best tasting po-boys. This free public street festival had more than 10,000 attendees in 2007 and covered three commercial street blocks of Oak Street. Again this year, the festival will feature two stages with live music, arts and crafts, a silent auction, a children’s section with games and prizes, panel discussions covering the history of the po-boy (starting at 10:30 a.m.) and, of course, the best tasting po-boys in New Orleans.

Official Website: http://poboyfest.com