NOLA Funk Fest 2026 wove collaborations, generations, and veneration throughout a four-day bash along the banks of the Mississippi River last weekend. The goal: to honor, preserve, and extend the sounds of one of America’s premier musical breeding grounds. Thousands of fans danced, whooped, and hollered – and got a musical history lesson along the way.
From Lester & the Zydeco Cha Chas’ first accordion notes Thursday night at the historic Tipitina’s club to the last echoes of George Porter Jr.’s “It Ain’t No Use” 70-some-odd hours later, the festival mixed and matched performers and musical styles to create some Crescent City magic.
The afternoon acts included modern practitioners of Louisiana’s deep musical heritage such as the Lost Bayou Ramblers, C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, and Big Chief Juan Pardo’s Tribal Gold. Seasoned New Orleans musicians shared the stage with up-and-coming stars like 17-year-old piano wizard River Eckert and 14-year-old soul crooner Lil Prince Charmin. And only in New Orleans can you hear four trombones combine to recreate the sound of Jimmy Page’s guitar on Bonerama’s cover of “When the Levee Breaks.”
The heavy hitters closed each night. Friday was the funk rock sounds of Galactic and Dumpstaphunk with their stage-shaking rhythm sections, snappy horns, and silky vocals. Saturday night, the Allen Toussaint Orchestra served as the house band for a star-laden tribute to their legendary late leader. It featured Irma Thomas, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, John “Papa” Gros, Neal Francis, and many more.
Porter and the Runnin’ Pardners wrapped up the weekend with a “supa’ set” of hits Porter had helped record over his 60-year career. The merry-go-round of guest performers included Neville, Osborne, Galactic’s Stanton Moore, Jackie Green, Jen Hartswick, Brian Stoltz, and Widespread Panic’s JoJo Hermann and Domingo Ortiz.
In a poignant moment, Porter recounted how Osborne devised the lyrics to the ballad “Talkin’ Bout My Old Friends” while the pair sat in the recording studio. “Sometimes when the lights are low, I remember friends I used to know,” they sang.
Hartswick, trumpeter in the Trey Anastasio Band and a New Orleans favorite, joined numerous acts as a featured collaborator or part of a tight, tight horn section. Neville and his son Omari added percussion and their gravelly vocals to at least a half dozen sets. (The festival’s “Neville count” was seven: Cyril, his son, nephews Ivan, Ian, Jason, and Aaron Jr., and great-nephew Damion “Lord Nexus.”)
The layout of the grounds reinforced the festival’s themes. The Passing the Torch stage gave young artists a showcase. Most were students at Loyola University New Orleans’ School of Music and Theatre Professions. In one tent, Cajun and Creole musicians performed from a makeshift “front porch” stage amid education sessions like how to make the perfect filé for your red beans and rice. Another tent showed off the intricately feathered and beaded Mardis Gras costumes of the city’s Black Masking Indian societies.
Funk Fest is a project of the Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience, a “museum of grand scale” expected to break ground in 2027.
