The Gretna Heritage Festival slated for Oct. 4, 5 & 6 will be carrying on a 30 year tradition of celebrating in Gretna. The event is held in the heart of this safe historic district that oozes small town charm. The sure-to-be electric 30th anniversary will include 45 acts on four Main Stages (of six total stages) in a mix of classic rock bands, country music headliners and R&B stars.
Gretna Fest, as it’s fondly called began in 1994 as a small community event. It has since grown to one of the largest festivals in Jefferson Parish.
Mayor Ronnie C. Harris and the Gretna Historical Society had been hosting a Spring Festival and realized they didn’t have enough volunteers to host the 1994 Spring Festival. Believing that the festival was good for the residents, they wanted it continued. They went to two “young” guys then, Ricky Templet, president of GEDA at the time and his buddy, Anthony “Tony” Buckley for some help.
Templet and Buckley agreed to keep it family-friendly, keep it casual, make it fun, put on an amazing show, and above all else, celebrate Gretna’s unique culture. By the time Templet and Buckley were approached, they had already run out of time. It moved from a spring affair to a fall event and the Gretna Heritage Festival was on!
The Templet/Buckley team prepared for the one-day event, to be held on a Sunday.
“The main purpose of the festival in our eyes was to create a day of community involvement and pride, as well as creating an opportunity for our nonprofit groups in the city to generate income for their organizations,” Templet said. “Tony and I had available two flatbed trailers which we joined together to create a stage under the Marketplace. The event was small, Huey P. Long Avenue wasn’t even closed to traffic.
“I cooked shrimp pasta to sell and the proceeds went to the nonprofit, GEDA and, I think it was the KC’s that sold beer. We had two bands to entertain. One was the headliner Frankie Ford who generously donated his band and time.
“Gretna Fest is today still true to its origin of giving the nonprofits that opportunity to earn money for their organizations. This family event turned into a regional event. Tony went on to be Gretna Fest president for many years.”
Gretna Fest 2024 has something for everyone to rock out to, plus offers a huge variety of food, from nearly 100 vendors, as well as the exciting German, Italian, Asian and Margarita Villages featuring food and entertainment.
Bring the whole family to enjoy the 3-day festival right on the Mississippi River. Speaking of the river, the Canal Street Ferry will run from New Orleans to the Gretna Ferry Landing throughout the Fest starting at 30 minutes before the festival opens until 30 minutes after the Main Stage band ends.
There is easy access to and from Gretna Fest by using the Free Shuttle service along with free parking at Oakwood Center and the Jefferson Parish School Systems Building at 501 Manhattan Blvd. in Harvey. For convenience, this year there will be a “Ride Share Lot” at the corner of 1st and Fried Streets where festival goers can connect to Lyft and Uber drivers.
Besides music and food, there’s also Arts and Crafts vendors and a Kids Corner with carnival rides returning this year! Club Backstage, located in the Gretna Cultural Center for the Arts features live music, a full bar, and more!
Learn more about Gretna Fest and purchase tickets here.
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