NEW ORLEANS – Due to the sell-out success of the 2016 NOLA Caribbean Festival, a sister event, the Marley Gras Jerk Chicken festival will debut Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Central City BBQ compound, 1201 South Rampart St.
The Marley Gras Jerk Chicken Festival is a funky fusion of Jamaican musical and culinary traditions with the rich culture of New Orleans Carnival, organizers said.
New Orleans and Jamaican culture are so intertwined that it’s only fitting that Bob Marley’s birthday falls smack dab in the middle of Mardi Gras season, organizers said. The Marley Gras Jerk Chicken Festival celebrates Marley’s legacy, blending the best of both cultures with a stable of national Reggae bands and DJs as well as New Orleans’ own top brass bands performing Bob Marley hits brass band style.
In addition to music, the festival will host top restaurants and food trucks serving up creative renditions of jerk chicken and other Caribbean style dishes, New Orleans’ classics and Caribbean drinks.
The festival will host New Orleans’ first ever Scotch Bonnet pepper eating contest and jerk chicken competition with local celebrity guest judges.
There will also be numerous arts and crafts vendors.
Entry is $10. Organizers said tickets are expected to sell out and they encourage the public to buy presale tickets available on their website.
