Dear Listener,

"Oh, it's festival ti-i-i-ime... and everybody’s having fun!" Or I should say festivals, plural. First, there’s the Congo Square Rhythms Festival this weekend—which is actually eight different days of associated events scattered throughout the month of March. See the torrent of activities listed in the story below. And whatever you can’t attend in person, WWOZ will be covering on the web and over the air as best we can keep up with it.

I especially recommend the Tom Dent Congo Square Symposium, “Between Heaven and Earth: Soothing the Troubled Soul with the Arts of Our Ancestors,” at the Joy Theater featuring Robert Ferris Thompson. Professor Thompson, an official member of the Yoruba tribe, has a way of making fascinating connections between Africa and New Orleans. Do you know what a salamander walk is? You’ll love it when you find out (and start walking it!).

Then there’s the Fourth Annual New Orleans Roadfood Festival; see details below. The main thing to remember is that this is the official launch of--and your first opportunity to taste--WWOZ’s latest culinary concoction: the WW-‘O-Zinger! Made from Jesuit Bend navel oranges harvested in January and February when they are at their unbelievably highest sugar content, then transformed into a unique sorbet and blended with a big splash of vodka. The booth will be by the flagpole near the French Market and you gotta try one to know how truly delicious this unique drink is.

Yours in buckmoths and tickfaws,

David Freedman
General Manager

You love us, you really love us. At the end of the drive there is nothing more satisfying than seeing the long list of names of all our new and renewing members. Like a handmade scrapbook, your names, and the names of all our wonderful musicians, show hosts and volunteers, reminds us that New Orleans isn't just a place, it's a family (minus the cheek pinching). A huge thanks to the 2,142 members who pledged during this drive making it one of the most successful in WWOZ history!

» See the drive highlights

Sometimes you've just got the hankering for some good balafon or marimba. So thank goodness for the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, which celebrates New Orleans' cultural heritage steeped in African and Latin American culture. With a month full of activities, it wraps up in the two day music festival, which is sure to get you on your feet and satisfy your samba cravings.

» Check out our list of Congo Square events

French Quarter Fest

April 12-15
The French Quarter Fest is the largest free music festival in the South, and it takes over the entire Quarter.

Roadfood Festival

March 24-25
Come try WWOZ's new orange drink, the ‘O-Zinger at the New Orleans Road Food Festival

Volunteer Leslie Cooper is deeply involved in the music of New Orleans - she's been around jazz her entire life, from listening to her parents play during weekends in New Orleans as a child, to acting as a “Momager” for students at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts.

» Read more about Leslie

When you're all hyped up on Jazz Fest and just need the opportunity to listen to some mellow, sassy, jazzy piano music, head on over to WWOZ's Piano Night. A fundraiser for the station, we invite in many amazing New Orleans keyboard-ticklers and a few of our out-of-town favorites, to entertain and fundraise for the station. Get your VIP tickets now, as they're selling like hotcakes made by piano-playing musicians.

» Get the Piano Night details & get tickets

Brass Pass Pick up Info

Get the details on how to pick up your golden ticket to the Jazz Fest!

Brass Passers from Down Under

Find out how Australian listener Brian Wise discovered WWOZ and why he decided to purchase 37 Brass Passes for Jazz Fest.

Ok, close your eyes. Imagine you're at the Jazz Fest, you've got Crawfish Monica in one hand, but you've run out of cash and you're dying for a cold drink. There is nowhere to sit, you're covered in Fairgrounds dust and your Jazz Fest hat with the big purple feather in it is about to fall off your head. 'OZ Hospitality Tent to the rescue! The Tent is the nicest, cleanest, happiest, iced coffee-est place to be at the Fest, and it truly is an oasis in your moments of Jazz Fest overload. So get yourself a Brass Pass and don't be stranded.

» Brass Pass: The best part of Jazz Fest

"If I had a crawfish, I'd crawfish in the morning, I'd crawfish in the evening and all over this land!" Well, maybe not. But we'd definitely make this killer crawfish pasta courtesy of Angelina's Zydeco Okra Cookbook, and maybe a couple other crawfish recipes, too. If you like the recipe, then visit Louisiana Cookin' magazine. Subscribe with the promotion code wwoz2012, and they'll donate $5 to WWOZ.

» See this month's recipe