New Orleans is famous for its cuisine, and hundreds of festivals are held throughout the state of Louisiana each year, so it’s no surprise that the two married to create three remarkable fall events celebrating some of the city’s most famous dishes.

National Roast Chicken Festival

Founded in 2016, the National Fried Chicken Festival will host 45 restaurants serving their versions of fried chicken on Lake Pontchartrain the weekend of October 5-6. Culinary events will include cooking demonstrations, panel discussions, celebrity chefs and more. In addition to fried chicken, the festival will feature three music stages, children’s games and a beer garden.

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The Oak Street Po-Boy Festival

Now in its 16th year, the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival will take over several blocks of an Uptown street on October 27 to host food and drink vendors serving the sandwich that is so quintessentially New Orleans. And best of all, the festival is free. All you need to buy a po-boy is a wristband.

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The Po-Boy Festival also includes live music on multiple stages, an art market, a kids’ zone and a po-boy contest. New this year are presentations on the origins of the New Orleans sandwich and the city’s food culture.

Beignet Festival

Most Americans think of beignets as the sweet puff pastry doughnuts served at Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter, but for years Louisiana chefs have been elevating the simple dessert into a sweet and savory treat. The annual Beignet Fest will celebrate their creativity on Nov. 16 at the City Park festival grounds.

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“The 2023 menu included nearly 50 unique beignet variations, including vegan and gluten-free options,” said Amy Boyle Collins, CEO of Gamble Communications, which represents the festival. “We expect even more this year as we will have some additional vendors appearing at the festival for the first time.”

Collins couldn’t reveal many more details at press time, but said festival-goers can look forward to a blackberry cloud beignet from Old School Eats and a cochon beignet from Ruby Slipper, inspired by the cochon eggs Benedict served at the chain’s restaurants across the South.