French Quarter Fest is now under way.
The annual festival parade kicked things off Thursday morning. Festival-goers lined Bourbon and St. Ann Streets to catch a glimpse of the procession as it made its way to Jackson Square.
The Bourbon Street portion of the route was filled mostly with out-of-towners.
Acacia Marks is from Los Angeles. She's traveling with a friend who calls New Orleans her second home.
"It's my first time, so I wanted to see Bourbon Street," Marks said. "You know, this is kicking off the French Quarter Fest."
Marks says she hopes to learn a thing or two about the Crescent City during the festival.
"Culture. All the culture of New Orleans. Everything that it has to offer me."
Alan is from Scottsdale, Arizona, and this is his seventh trip he's made to the city just for French Quarter Fest. He says the festival's vibe is unlike any other.
"There's a lot of options on stages," Alan said. "There's a rotation of blues and jazz and brass bands. We love it."
As the parade turned onto St. Ann and into Jackson Square, the crowd lining the route transitioned from one that was mostly filled with tourists to one that was filled with locals, many of whom told us that they've been waiting for this day since last year's festival ended.
Keith Lewis said this year's event is a family affair.
"My wife is in the parade," Lewis said. "My son is performing--Kevin Lewis with Preservation Hall."
One of the volunteers we spoke to said he's been helping out at the festival for more than 30 years, and he has no plans of stopping anytime soon.
"It's New Orleans. It's free. It's all local entertainment. I think it's the best festival we've got," that volunteer told us.
Fleurty Girl owner Lauren Haydel walked a couple of blocks from her shop to take in the moment.
"I mean, listen to this!" she exclaimed, pausing to listen to a drummer perform a solo. "Do you need any other reason (to come to the festival)?! Listen! There you go. I'll see you there!"
