Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo
A neighbourhood music festival on the banks of Bayou St. John in mid-May, famous for people floating past the stages on homemade rafts.
- When
- Usually Friday to Sunday in mid-May; 2024, 2025 and 2026 all began on the third Friday of May. (source, checked 2026-10-26)
- Where
- Traditionally the banks of Bayou St. John, Mid-City (2026 used two other venues)
- First held
- 2005
- Organiser
- The Friends of Bayou St. John
Usual pattern, not announced · 201 days away
About Bayou Boogaloo
Bayou Boogaloo was founded in 2005 and grew into one of Mid-City's signature weekends: local bands on stages along the water, food and art vendors, and a flotilla of kayaks, canoes and improvised rafts on the bayou.
For its 20th year in 2026 it left the bayou banks for 'Bayou Boogaloo On Tour' at The Broadside and the Pitot House. Whether it returns to the water in 2027 had not been announced when we checked.
Dates, 2026–2035
| Year | Dates | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Fri–Sun 15–17 May | Held |
| 2027 | Fri–Sun 21–23 May | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2028 | Fri–Sun 19–21 May | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2029 | Fri–Sun 18–20 May | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2030 | Fri–Sun 17–19 May | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2031 | Fri–Sun 16–18 May | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2032 | Fri–Sun 21–23 May | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2033 | Fri–Sun 20–22 May | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2034 | Fri–Sun 19–21 May | Usual pattern, not announced |
| 2035 | Fri–Sun 18–20 May | Usual pattern, not announced |
"Usual pattern" rows project the timing described above onto each year. They are not dates: organisers set them, and they sometimes break the pattern (see how often the patterns held).
Recent: 2024: 17–19 May 2024; 2025: 16–18 May 2025; 2026: 15–17 May 2026.
Sources
- neworleans.com/articles/post/mid-city-bayou-boogaloo-on-tour-2026-cel… (2026 dates and format; founded 2005; checked 2026-10-26)
Also in music festivals
French Quarter Festival · New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival · Essence Festival of Culture · Satchmo SummerFest