Tomatoes And Zydeco Music, What Could Be Better?

New Orleans is known for its festivals, that goes without saying. But rarely can one find two that coincide as perfectly as the ones taking place this weekend. This year, the French Market Creole Tomato Festival and the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival will be taking place on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 in New Orleans' French Quarter and both are free to the public.

The festivals will be held so close together that you can enjoy browsing the local tomato crops while zydeco music plays. There will be a creole tomato-eating contest, as well as favorite tomato dishes to test just how much of a tomato-lover you are, like creole tomato bloody marys and fried green tomatoes. The creole tomato is unique to New Orleans, a beloved symbol of the culture of the area and a celebration of the summer season.

Amy Kirk, who organizes the Tomato Festival, told nola.com that the event is not just a place to buy tomatoes; food-lovers from near and far come to sample tomato dishes, try out local vendors, and watch demonstrations by chefs. "They make it a ritual – a ritual of summer – and isn't that what most of us want from a Louisiana festival?" That, and certainly as much zydeco music as possible.