Festival Season Gets Into Full Swing At The Ritz-carlton, New Orleans

Mardi Gras has passed and spring is on the horizon, so it must be festival season in New Orleans! From French Quarter Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, Essence Music Festival, Tales of the Cocktail and Satchmo Summerfest, visitors can enjoy the best of the Big Easy.

The Davenport Lounge has added additional live music offerings every Wednesday night and you can catch the musical stylings of the hotel's headline entertainer, Jeremy Davenport at both French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest. M bistro is planning to provide a luxurious Easter Brunch like no other while The Ritz-Carlton Spa, New Orleans has Crescent City Classic runners covered with a variety of offerings. See below for all of the events happening in and around the hotel.

FESTIVALS/EVENTS
Tennessee Williams/ New Orleans Literary Festival: (27th annual, 3/20-23)
Honoring the legendary Tennessee Williams, his works, and literary life in the adopted city he called his "spiritual home", this festival features theater, food and music events; short fiction, poetry and one-act play competitions; French Quarter literary walking tours; a book fair; and much more.

Crescent City Classic: (35th annual, 3/30)
The annual Crescent City Classic 10K is a premiere road race that draws runners from all over the United States. The race course is one of the most scenic of its kind and culminates with an end of race party.
� Preparation: Romney Pilates at The Ritz-Carlton offers a variety of classes designed to stretch and strengthen the body.
� Recovery: The Ritz-Carlton Spa, New Orleans specializes in post-race detox, rehydration and relaxation.
� Location: The race starts at The Mercedes-Benz Superdome and ends in beautiful City Park.

French Quarter Festival: (30th annual, 4/11-4/14)
The hotel is in walking distance to French Quarter Fest, the largest, free, outdoor festival in New Orleans. It features 22 outdoor stages showcasing gospel, jazz, funk, classical, cajun and zydeco, brass bands and much more.
� Participation: Catch Jeremy Davenport on Sunday, April 14th at 3:30 p.m. at the WWL-TV Stage.
� Location: The hotel is in walking distance to the festival (2 blocks).

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival: (43rd annual, 4/26-5/5)
Background: Thousands flock to this seven-day event that has been heralded as one of America's best festivals. Headliners include: Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5, The Black Keys, John Mayer, Widespread Panic, Daryl Hall and John Oaks, Phoenix, B.B. King, Frank Ocean, Earth, Wind & Fire, Willie Nelson and many more.
� Participation: Davenport will perform on Friday, April 26th at 2:30 p.m. at the Zatarain's/WWOZ Jazz Tent.
� Location: The New Orleans Fairgrounds

New Orleans Wine & Food Experience: (22nd annual, 5/22-5/25)
In 1991, a group of local wine and food professionals had a vision of creating a series of events to raise money for charity. The five-day festival brings together world-renowned winemakers, celebrated chefs and industry insiders.
� Participation: Winemaker Dinner (Wednesday, May 21st) and Grand Tastings Competition (Friday, May 24th and Saturday, May 25th)

Essence Music Festival: (19th annual, 7/4-7/7)
Known as "the party with a purpose" the three-day festival features empowerment seminars at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center during the day and concerts in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome over three nights. Headliners include Brandy, Charlie Wilson, Jill Scott, Keyshia Cole, LL Cool J, Maxwell, New Edition, Anthony David, Big Daddy Kane and Blackstreet.

Tales of the Cocktail: (11th annual, 7/17-7/21)
New Orleans is the "home of the cocktail" so it seems only fitting that this internationally