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Two of my favorite things in the world are New Orleans and fried chicken. The two will be coming together at the National Fried Chicken Festival (FCF). It is returning to the New Orleans lakefront on September 30 and October 1, 2023.
Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country will be coming to New Orleans for this celebration of fried chicken. FCF will feature its largest and most diverse food lineup with over 50 restaurants showcasing their unique twists on this Southern favorite.
Participating restaurants will include
- Akasia’s Cafe
- Valerie’s Snoballs
- Sun Chong
- Four Pegs Smokehouse
- Kok Wings & Things
- Fresh Fruit Sensations
- Chicken Kitchen – VIP Caterer
- Afrodisiac Nola
- Jamaican Jerk House
- Pollo
- Your Side Kicks
- Ms. Dee’s Catering Cuisine
- Birrieria Poblano
- Not Cho Average Nachos
- Whiskey & Sticks
- Redbird Fried Chicken
- Rickette’s Famous Chicken, Fish & BBQ
- Alma
- Bobby’s Hebert’s Cajun Cannon
- Divine Cuisine
- House of Blues New Orleans
- Love At First Bite
- Tasting Treat Food Truck
- Stuff’d Wings
- Chicken & Watermelon
- Fry Daddy’s
- Lizzy’s Coldcups & Catering
- Bao Mi
- Heard Dat Kitchen
- Oh Taste & See
- Bluu Herbs
- Jessie Huckabucks
- Morrow’s
- Tiger’s Creole Cuisine
- Soule’ Cafe
- Keyala’s Pralines
- Lil Dustin’s Italian Ice
- Ladelyo’s Creole Catering
- Highly Seasoned Catering
- Gus’s Fried Chicken
- Cochon King BBQ
- Finna Eat
- Fresh Fruit Sensations
- Diva Dawg
- Bonafried
- Ponko Chicken
- Southerns
- Chubbie’s Famous Fried Chicken
- Bof Bars
These chefs will have a chance to compete for the Best Fried Chicken Award and Best Use of Fried Chicken in a Dish awards.
The festival will have all day live entertainment from local and national artists on two stages.
Saturday Entertainment Lineup
- Big Freedia
- Kings of Brass
- Trumpet Mafia
- Big 6 Brass Band
- Maurice
- Flow Tribe
- Brass-A-Holics + Allie Baby
- Khris Royal
- Red Sample
- DJ Keith Scott
and more.
Sunday Entertainment Lineup
- Big Sam’s Funky Nation
- Shamarr Allen
- Parish County Line
- The Soul Rebels
- Fresh X Restless
- Saxkixave
- DJ Keith Scott
- Kermit Ruffins
- Sparky’s Brass Band
and more.
This year there will be a third stage and that will be the Heinz Food Culture Stage. This stage will feature cooking demonstrations, ted-style talks, panel discussions and more with national celebrity chefs.
Other festival activities will include
- Vendor Marketplace
- Cane’s Square with interactive fun for the whole family
- Car Corral – Custom car show
- Beer Garden presented by Stella Artois with football viewing
- Family Zone
- Royalty VIP Lounge
New Orleans and fried chicken – how could it get any better than that?
Coupon
Would you like a way to save money on this great festival? Daily tickets are $15 each, making it $30 for the weekend. If you buy a 2 day pass, you’ll only pay $25, saving you $5. And you can do that by purchasing a ticket here.
New Orleans Lodging
If you’d like to visit New Orleans for the National Fried Chicken Festival, you should consider the following hotels. They are all offering discounted rates which could save you money on your stay.
- Club Wyndham Avenue Plaza – 25% Discount
- Magnolia New Orleans – 25% Discount
- Wyndham New Orleans French Quarter – 20% Discount
- Hilton Garden Inn New Orleans Convention Center – 20% Discount
- Lucky Inn – 20% Discount
- Old 17 Hotel – 20% Discount
- Omni Riverfront Hotel – 15% Discount
- The Royal Sonesta New Orleans – 15% Discount
- Sonesta ES Suites New Orleans Downtown – 15% Discount
- Wyndham Garden Hotel Baronne Plaza – 15% Discount
- Sheraton New Orleans Hotel – 15% Discount
- Omni Royal Orleans Hotel – 13% Discount
- The Hilton Hotel – 12% Discount
- Le Meridien New Orleans – 10% Discount
- Embassy Suites by Hilton New Orleans – 10% Discount
- Hotel St. Pierre, a French Quarter Inns Hotel – 10% Discount
- La Galerie French Quarter Hotel – 10% Discount
- Chateau Orleans – 10% Discount
- Federal City Inn & Suites – 10% Discount
- Creole Gardens Guesthouse & Inn – 10% Discount
If you’re flying in to New Orleans, book your airline ticket here and you can save money on your flight.