French Quarter Fest 2017 lineup filled with newcomers

onstage at the 25th anniversary MusiCares 2015 Person Of The Year Gala honoring Bob Dylan at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The annual benefit raises critical funds for MusiCares’ Emergency Financial Assistance and Addiction Recovery programs. For more information visit musicares.org.

by: WGNO Web Desk

Posted: Jan 24, 2017 / 03:38 PM AST

Updated: Jan 24, 2017 / 03:39 PM AST

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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Aaron Neville may be the most famous musician making their French Quarter Fest debut in 2017, but the lineup is littered with other first time festers.

Neville is sure to draw huge crowds when he takes the stage at the 34th annual French Quarter Fest on Thursday, April 6.

But festival veterans like Ellis Marsalis and the Dixie Cups will share the spotlight with 20 newcomers that are sure to spice up the lineup during the four-day festival, which wraps up on Sunday, April 9.

Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole, Cole Williams Band, Cupid, Messy Cookers Jazz Band, Mo’Fess, Love Evolution, Perdido Jazz Band, T’Monde, Valerie Sassyfrass, and The Nayo Jones Experience will all perform at French Quarter Fest for the first time, among many others.

More than 20 stages will be in full swing during the festival, from the newly expanded Jack Daniel’s Stage to the Popeyes Brass Band Jam stage and the Abita Beer stage at the center of the action in Woldenberg Park.

All of which adds up to a great year of festing in the French Quarter.

“The French Quarter Festival has become one of New Orleans’ most iconic events, with an economic impact of more than $180 million a year – that’s more than $100 million in direct spending,” New Orleans Tourism and Marketing Corporation President and CEO Mark Romig said. “These are visitors that are coming from more than 35 states and more than a dozen countries to experience the largest free music festival in the United States.”

Click here for the full French Quarter Fest 2017 lineup.