fun for the whole family: crawfish races, games, crafts + live music, food & crawfish-eating contest
The seventh-annual Pinch A Palooza Festival & Crawfish-Eating Contest returns to the shores of Lake Pontchartrain for a day of family friendly fun! This festival celebrating Louisiana’s unique delicacy takes place all day Sunday, April 17—from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant in Bucktown.
With over 5,000 pounds of boiled Louisiana crawfish, live music, and a variety of activities for fun-lovers of all ages, it’s the can’t-miss family event of the festival season. And best of all… it’s FREE!
FAMILY FRIENDLY LIVE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT
This year’s Pinch A Palooza features some of the best local talent around New Orleans — from Zydeco band band Paris Avenue, to local favorites Vince Vance & The Valiants, Imaginary Frenz, and Karma. With entertainment from the beloved 610 Stompers and majestic Mardi Gras Indians, as well as the Disco Amigos, Pinch A Palooza provides plenty of opportunities for little ones to get down and boogie.
CRAWFISH RACES
On your mark… get set.. Go! Children can select their mudbugs and line them up for an epic crawfish race to the finish line. Cheer on the competing crustaceans from the sidelines, or get in there and pick a winner! It’s all in good fun, and the kids love getting up close and personal with the live crawfish.
Prizes will be awarded to the winners!
FOOD & REFRESHMENTS FOR ALL AGES
At Pinch A Palooza, you can find Deanie’s crawfish specialties like crawfish nachos, crawfish balls, fried crawfish tails, crawfish etouffee, crawfish rolls and thousands of pounds of fresh boiled Louisiana Crawfish served with corn and potatoes for every member of the family to enjoy. Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza and The Original New Orleans Sno-Balls also will be on site.
GAMES & OTHER KIDS’ ACTIVITIES
This year’s Pinch A Palooza features games and other entertainment for the underage crowd. Children can get their faces painted, visit and take photos with Pincher the Crawfish, and even check out the art market. There will also be inflatables for the kids to enjoy ($5 wristband).
Foodwriter and cookbook author Ann Benoit will be on site signing copies of her latest book, “New Orleans’ Best Seafood Restaurants,” featuring mouthwatering recipes —including Deanie’s Seafood’s Crab or Crawfish Nachos—that bring the best tastes from our local waters to your table.
What other FREE festival has this many enjoyable family friendly activities at the peak of crawfish season?
onsite Metairie Bank ATM, convenient portalets
Pinch A Palooza also will have a convenient Metairie Bank ATM van on site, as well as several portalets and hand-washing stations for our outdoor event. There’s also tented seating to get out of the sun or (knock wood) rain.
Lawn chairs are welcome. Please, no pets or outside food or drinks.