Fall is not only my favorite time of year, but it also means that one of the best festivals around is back – Gretna Fest! After a two-year hiatus Gretna Fest is back this weekend October 7th, 8th, and 9th.
What started as a small festival on the Mississippi River 30 years ago has taken on a life of its own over time. I remember being young and going to Gretna Fest, when it only covered a small portion of Huey P Long Blvd, and let me tell you it has changed! I’ve gotten to see absolute legends like Joe Cocker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Melissa Ethridge, and Brett Michaels. I also thoroughly enjoy getting to see all the amazing performers that come straight from Louisiana too! The music is pretty great, but the food, drinks, and family atmosphere is what keeps us coming back every year.
2022 brought some big changes to Gretna Fest, but it is sure to be better than ever. You can purchase tickets in advance at www.gretnafest.com but will have to pick them up from will call as all entry is RFID-Wristband. There will be no cash or credit cards accepted at this event. You will need to load money on to your wristband. There are day ($20 pp) and weekend ($45 pp) 
wristbands available, along with a separate wristband for kids who want to play in Kiddie Corner (entry is free to the festival for 12 and younger!) Make sure that you download the Gretna Live App as that will have the map, music schedule, and all the information you need. Let’s talk more about what is in store this year!
If you want to get familiar with the layout first, you can find the map here.
The Music
Reveling on the river in 2022 will include 3 main stages this year along with other areas where bands will be performing, including two new areas; Memorial Square & The Club Backstage. There will be over 40 local and national acts over the three day festival. This years headliners include:
Friday, October 7th
4:30 – 5:45 The Suffers
6:15 – 7:30 Tank and the Bangas
8:00 – 9:30 Grace Potter
10:00 – 11:30 The Revivalists
Saturday, October 8th
1:15 – 2:45 The Topcats
3:15 – 4:45 Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters
5:15 – 6:45 Dumpstaphunk
7:15 – 8:45 Brett Young
9:30 – 11:30 John Fogerty
Sunday, October 9th
12:30 – 2:00 Eric Lindell & The Twilight Orchestra
2:30 – 4:00 Larkin Poe
4:30 – 6:00 Gov’t Mule
6:30 – 8:00 The Beach Boys
The Food & Drinks
If you don’t leave Gretna Fest fat & happy then you are doing it wrong. With the amount of delicious food you will find along the river, good luck trying to decide what you are going to
eat! They have added multiple new villages this year, make sure to check them all out as they each have different offerings.
Craft Beer Section (NEW!) – Join Port Orleans to taste all of the local brews they will be offering.
Margarita Village (NEW!) – Sponsored by Jose Cuervo, you will find various tequilas, margaritas, mojitos, and sangrias. You can also find food like street tacos, nachos, and quesadillas.
Asian Village (NEW!) – Featuring Bao Mi, you can find all of the best authentic Asian food & drinks here. A small sampling includes: KFC Bao, Pew Pew Pew Shrimp Bao, Pulled Pork Banh Mi, Pew Pew Shrimp Banh Mi, Grilled Pork Skewer and Pandan Rice Krispies.
Italian Village – This classic area features all of the delicious Italian food that your heart desires. Here you can find things like Italian Sausage Sandwiches, Italian Wine, Moretti Beer, Italian Cookies, Italian Sausage on A Stick, Muffalettas, Meatballs, and Eggplant. You can also find Italian souvenirs in this village.
German Beer Garden – Join the kick off to Oktoberfest at 5pm on October 7th for the annual keg tapping by Friends of the German-American Cultural Center. Be on the lookout for German Beer on tap, German Wine, Grilled Bratwurst, and homemade Sauerkrat.
Gretna Fest Food Court – Thought you were hungry before? Checkout this lineup sure to make any foodie’s mouth water. Take a seat under the tent & enjoy.
| Vendor | Items |
|---|---|
| Acropolis On Freret | Gyro Wrap – Grape Leaves – Lobster Ravioli |
| Any O Cajun | Crawfish Beignets – Chicken N Tasso Pasta – Gumbolaya – Crab Burger – Crab Cake Salad |
| Baes Bakery | Cheesecake Cups – Cake Cups – Cake Pops – Puffed Pastry Slices |
| Beryl Ragas | Chicken Tender With Fries, Or Mac-N-Cheese Or Red Beans |
| ClamBaughs | Red Beans & Rice – Smothered Okra & Rice – Crawfish Etouffee & Rice |
| Croation American Society | Half Dozen Charbroiled Oysters – Half Dozen Raw Oysters |
| Dat Dog | The “Backyard Cookout” – Beef Hot Dog With Relish, Onions, And Mustard – The “Swamp Monster” – Alligator Sausage With Grilled Onions, Grilled Green Bell Pepper, Creole Mustard, And Crushed Voodoo Zapp’s Chips – The “Italian Stallion” – Italian Sausage With Grilled Onions, Grilled Green Bell Pepper, And Yellow Mustard – The “Saucy Apple”- VEGAN Smoked Apple Sage ‘Dog With BBQ Sauce, Onions, Tomatoes, And Dill Relish – Sides: Tots – Cheese Tots |
| Dbest Gumbo | Stuffed Crab In A Boat W/Bread |
| Deshontaes Sweet Home | Oyster PoBoy W/ Fries – Whole Seafood Stuffed Bell Pepper Deep Fried Ribs W/ Sweet Heat Sauce & Side Of Crawfish Rice Or Fries |
| Dickey’s BBQ | Meat Plate – Sandwiches – Beef Brisket, Pulled Pork, Pork Ribs, Pork Sausages, Smoked Chicken Breast. Hot Dogs, Chips, Cookies, Pie Slices, Brownies. Mac & Cheese, Creamed Spinach, Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Green Beans, Meat Topped Nachos, Meat Sandwiches |
| Dollish Treats | Snowballs – Candy Grapes – Flavored Pickles |
| Eda’s Restaurant | Honduras Style Fried Chicken “Pollo Chuco” With French Fries Or Plantains – Baleadas, “Flour Tortilla With Refried Beans & Crema” – Honduras Style Ground Meat With French Fries Or Plantains Street Mangos |
| Element Beverage | Element’s Pineapple Lemonade Or Tropical Lemonade Topped With Fruits |
| Fantasy Tacos | Tacos – 6″ Tacos – Fantasy Steak Tacos – Jerked Chicken Tacos – Baja Shrimp Tacos Churros – Electric Or Tropical Punch |
| Island Paradise Grill | Doubles / Oxtail On Bun |
| KC St Cletus | Hamburgers |
| Krewe Of Choctaw | Pulled Pork |
| Leonard McQuarter | Seafood Rolls – Seafood Burger With Fries – Stuff Jalapenos – Side Of Crawfish Mac – Side Of Oyster Rice – Side Of Seafood Rice |
| Let Us Cater For You | Turkey Wings & Fries Spinach Mac N Cheese – Loaded Mac N Cheese |
| Luca Eats | Oreo Beignets – Watermelon Lemonade – Chocolate Cover Espresso Beans |
| Machine Lady | Funnel Cakes – Fried Snickers |
| Mel’s Ice Cream | Ice Cream |
| Ms Dee’s Catering Cuisine LLC | Seafood Special Po Boy – Fries – Seafood Loaded Potato |
| Nola Crawfish King | Burnt Ends – Beans – Crawfish Mac – Chopped Brisket Sandwich – Brisket Bombs (Egg Rolls) – Crawfish Mac ‘N Cheese |
| Old Style Hot Tamales | Hot Tamales – Beef Hot Or Mild – Venison – Tamale Casserole Tamales Coverer W/ Chili & Cheese – Beef – Tamale Eggroll – Chili Bowls – Frito Pies – Cheese Fries – Plain Fries |
| Optimist Club Westbank | |
| Patton Catering | Patton’s Crawfishsack – Oyster Patties – Shrimp Beignets |
| People’s Choice Seafood | Turkey Necks – Potatoes – Shrimp – Crab – Corn |
| Rotary Club Westbank | Plain Hot Dog – Plain Nacho Chip – Bag Of Fritos – Pickles – Chili – Cheese – Jalapeno |
| Rugaroux Charities | Meatballs And Spaghetti – Meatball Sandwich – Meatball On Stick Or Boat – Italian Sausage And Spaghetti – Italian Sausage Sandwich – Italian Sausage On Stick – Italian Dessert |
| Salvos Seafood | |
| Serving From The Heart | Catfish Sundae – Catfish Poboy – Catfish Dirty Rice – Catfish & Fries |
| Stonebridge Club | Mini Muffulettas – Finger Sandwiches |
| T. Nate’s LLC | Cracklins Pork Skins – Pralines |
| Thanh Thanh | Spring Rolls – Eggrolls – Pad Thai |
| Uglee Pizza | Cheese Pizza – Margherita – Pepperoni – Supreme – Cannolis |
| Voleo’s Seafood | Smothered Rabbit W/ Spicy Coleslaw – Crawfish Enchiladas W Green Chili – Crabmeat Boudin Balls W/ Creole Mustard Sauce – Onion Mums |
| Westbank Sassy Katz | Chicken And Sausage Jambalaya – Tamale Balls |
The Family Feel
If you have gone to Gretna Fest in the past you may remember there being carnival rides. That has changed some this year with the introduction of “Kid’s Corner”! For $20 per day
your children can have unlimited access to this area. It will feature a rock wall, inflatables, games, bungee run, art booths, face painting, train rides, and more. I have to be honest, the children’s activities are always great but my kids love the energy so much we always enjoy the entire festival with them. You can also walk over to Memorial Square where there will be live performances and you can relax on the lawn. Perfect for mid day naps!
The Crafts and Shopping
- Adorable Wooden Art
- Advanced Carpet & Rug Care
- Angelle Robles
- Anton Art
- Apron Agencies
- Art by Christy
- Ashley Guidry
- Breaux Jewelers
- Daniel Borden
- Dixon Art
- DVUS LLC
- Fleur De Bees
- Heavenly Scent Candles
- Hilda Trends
- Judy Prestenbach
- LeafFilter
- Major 360 Experience
- Maries Blazing Aromas
- Max Home & Renewal LLC
- Mekwoodshop
- Motorcycle Awareness
- Mothe Funeral Home
- Nathalia Barcia
- Nola Fabioia
- NOLA Silver Jewelry
- Ochsner
- Of Clay & Beauty
- Our Community Health
- Paparazzi Jewelry by Yolando
- Patrician Management
- Saints for Sinners
- Smile Doctors
- Speaking Against Abuse
- The Shield NOLA
- Toys for Tots
- Whatsitz & Whatnotz
- Wyndham
Do you have carnival rides this year