Brace Yourself: The Oak Street Po-Boy Festival Is Upon Us

If you're heading to the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival, which takes place from 11 am to 7 pm Sunday, Nov. 18, two things are immediately clear: you can take or leave Sunday football and you love specialty po-boys, like GW Fins' fried lobster po-boy (with remoulade!), Mondo's Euro-zone crisis-inspired Greek eggplant salad po-boy, and Fat Hen's brisket, smoked sausage and coleslaw-stuffed po-boy. It all sounds too good to miss, doesn't it? Even in spite of the long lines and high sticker prices (admission to the festival is free unless you have a coveted $100 VIP wrist band and are totally cool with flashing it to cut in line).

The fest (formerly the Po-Boy Preservation Festival) turns 6 this year, and though last year's decision to institute a $200 wristband hierarchy for queue-weary people with money to burn prompted critics to quip young fest was getting a little too big for its britches, this year promises some sensible change. VIP access is only $100, and it comes with the promise of a parking spot, access to a special cordoned-off VIP area with open bar, snacks and restrooms, and the option (be you so bold) to use allegedly shorter VIP lines at participating vendors.

Moreover, according to the Uptown Messenger, the festival layout has been modified yet again to accommodate the hordes of unwashed po-boy enthusiasts who turn up faithfully every year despite the fact that an even such as the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival is pretty much the perfect storm for a zombie outbreak.

· Oak Street Po-Boy Festival [Gambit]
· Po-Boy Festival returns to Oak Street this weekend [Uptown Messenger]
· Oak Street Po-Boy Festival [Official Site]

Po-Boy Fest 2011. [Photo: Facebook]