New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Announces New Venue for Festivals
07/30/2009
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center announced a 26-acre festival venue, located on Henderson Street at the end of Convention Center Blvd, adjacent to Hall J and immediately in front of the newly re-located Mardi Gras World. The plan brings event activity to the property that is the location of the Center’s planned Phase IV expansion, on hold until the demand returns for further development.
The venue, dubbed “Festival Park at the Convention Center,” has all the elements that are important to stage successful festivals: high visibility and easy access, ample and adjacent parking, hotels with a variety of price points, water and power.
“New Orleans is known as one of the greatest cities for festivals and they play an important role in attracting visitors who support our economy. There are several opportunities throughout the year when a festival can bridge the gap between seasons and major conventions, said Bob Johnson, president/general manager of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. “We’re glad to provide another venue for people to enjoy themselves,” he concluded.
The Louisiana Tailgate & BBQ Festival, appealing to every sports fan, outdoorsman and foodie in the region, recently announced plans to use Festival Park for the August 21-23 first annual event. As the region readies for the oncoming football and hunting seasons, the Festival could easily become an August boon to hotels in the years to come. The festival will feature food, music, football and family fun. On the line-up are The Big Easy BBQ Challenge, a tailgate competition, tailgate product exposition, and a football fan-fest. For more details, go to www.louisianatailgate.com.
Already announced for Festival Park is the Saturday, September 5th, Project 3090 Music Festival. The festival is billed as an environmentally conscious festival and will run their stages on solar and wind turbine power and offer paperless green tickets, recycling, carbon offsets and more. And Bike Week New Orleans is making plans to use the site for major programming when it returns next year, May 4 - 9.
Other considerations for Festival Park are as an outdoor extension of the 1.1 million square feet of indoor exhibit space. A number of large conventions require outdoor exhibit space, and may now be more attracted to New Orleans.
Festival Park Site
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About the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
With 1.1 million square feet of contiguous exhibit space, an award winning staff and first class amenities, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is the sixth largest convention center in the nation and a consistent Top 10 host of the largest number of conventions and tradeshows annually. A leading rainmaker of the city’s hospitality industry, MCCNO event activity has produced $39.12 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening, including $2.19 billion in new tax revenue.
