> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Westbank Heritage Festival Opens 10th Anniversary Weekend With Black Affair at Alario Center - URL: https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/westbank-heritage-festival-opens-10th-anniversary-weekend-with-black-affair-at-alario-center/ - Published: 2026-09-19T16:17:56.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-19T16:17:56.000Z - Description: The Westbank Heritage Festival kicked off its 10th anniversary weekend with The Black Affair, transforming the Alario Center into an elegant night of music, food and celebration while highlighting the festival’s decade-long commitment to West Bank culture, small businesses and economic opportunity. - Author: Kim M. Braud - Tags: Westbank, Westbank Heritage Festival, Alario Center, Community, The Social Scene NEWS ***By Kim M. Braud | September 19, 2026*** **WESTWEGO, La.** \- The Alario Center traded its usual arena atmosphere for chandeliers, cocktail attire and live music Friday night as the Westbank Heritage Food & Music Festival opened its 10th anniversary weekend with **The Black Affair**. The Sept. 18 kickoff transformed the venue into an elegant cocktail setting, where guests dressed in black gathered for food, drinks and an evening of music before the festival moves into its two-day public celebration Saturday and Sunday. The evening celebrated a decade of an event built around more than entertainment. Over the past 10 years, the Westbank Heritage Festival has brought music, food and culture to the West Bank while providing a platform for local businesses and entrepreneurs to reach new customers. The anniversary offered an opportunity to look back at how that effort began and what organizers hope it continues to become. ## **Ten years of building on the West Bank** Jefferson Parish District 3 Councilman Byron Lee opened a portion of Friday night’s program, recognizing individuals associated with the festival and its development. Lee was followed by Mark Spears, his predecessor in the District 3 council seat and one of the figures associated with the festival’s beginnings. “We began this venture 10 years ago,” Spears told guests. “And we’re so grateful for the fact that we’ve been able to grow this.” Spears reflected on the growth of an event that has continued without charging admission to the public. He said organizers have worked each year to bring new artists and returning favorites to the West Bank while creating an experience designed to keep festivalgoers coming back. The former councilman also made clear that the festival’s purpose extends beyond the stage. “We look forward to helping our small business owners and entrepreneurs make money,” Spears said. “We have to be able to create ways where folks who look like us can be a part of this economic pie in Jefferson Parish.” The festival is an initiative of the New Growth Economic Development Association, or NGEDA, which works to advance economic development on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish. NGEDA reports that its initiatives have generated more than $4 million in economic impact, supported more than 120 restaurants and businesses and hired more than 140 musicians. The organization describes the Westbank Heritage Food & Music Festival as a two-day cultural experience that provides exposure and growth opportunities for local businesses while attracting visitors to the region. ## **Small businesses get their own boulevard** That economic-development mission will be particularly visible throughout the weekend at **Bestbank Boulevard**, the festival’s marketplace featuring local food, retail and service businesses. Dozens of entrepreneurs are represented across the marketplace, turning part of the festival grounds into a place where small businesses can sell directly to festivalgoers. During Friday night’s Black Affair, participating businesses were highlighted on the Alario Center’s large video screens. Rather than separating the business component from the entertainment, the festival places entrepreneurs directly in the path of the crowds coming to see the performers. For participating businesses, festival attendance also represents an opportunity to introduce their products and services to potential customers. NGEDA has made that small-business exposure a central component of its work. The organization says its programs are designed to spur economic investment and create growth opportunities for West Bank businesses. The anniversary weekend is also supported by a mix of public, corporate and community partners. Sponsors recognized during Friday night’s program included **Jefferson Parish, Ochsner Health, Fidelity Bank, Cox, the New Orleans Pelicans, Raising Cane’s and Entergy**, among others. ## **Music sets the tone for the anniversary** The Black Affair may have been the formal opening of the festival’s anniversary weekend, but music remained at the center of Friday night’s celebration. New Orleans trumpeter Shamarr Allen brought his distinctive Ratchet Jazz sound to the Alario Center, blending the sound of his trumpet with the contemporary influences that have become part of his musical identity. Allen’s performance unfolded in a room that looked very different from the Alario Center most visitors know. Towering white candelabras and chandeliers illuminated cocktail tables as guests ate, drank, socialized and enjoyed the music. Large video screens behind the stage shifted between performers, sponsors, festival information and images celebrating the event’s 10-year history. The evening also featured The Renaissance Orchestra, an ensemble known for bringing an orchestral approach to contemporary music. The group blends strings and brass with hip-hop, trap, R&B and pop, creating a performance that pairs the visual presence of an orchestra with music more commonly heard outside the concert hall. The Renaissance Orchestra has gained attention on social media for that approach and is scheduled to return during Saturday’s festival. The range of performers Friday night provided a preview of the musical variety that will continue throughout the anniversary weekend. ## **What’s happening this weekend** The Black Affair gives way Saturday and Sunday to the public Westbank Heritage Food & Music Festival on the grounds of the Alario Center. The 10th anniversary festival will feature national and local performers, food, vendors, children’s activities and community programming. General admission remains **free**, continuing a tradition organizers emphasized during Friday night’s celebration. **Saturday, Sept. 19**, is headlined by R&B singer **Joe**. The lineup also includes **The Renaissance Orchestra, The Roots of Music, Donte Allen, Universal Language, Yirmey Yisrael Band, Chosen Vessels, EDT Dance Team** and several DJs and other performers. Spears singled out Joe’s appearance during his remarks Friday night. “Who wants to hear Joe?” Spears asked the crowd, drawing an enthusiastic response before encouraging guests to return for the weekend. **Sunday, Sept. 20**, begins inside the Alario Center with a **10 a.m. Worship Experience**, followed by a **Gospel Explosion from 1 to 5 p.m.** Gospel programming includes **Jonathan Nelson, Jessica Harvey & The Difference** and additional performers. Sunday’s entertainment continues with **King George, DJ Jubilee, Baby Boy Da Prince, Kortana, Raven** and other artists. The festival’s entertainment reflects a broad mix of R&B, gospel, hip-hop, jazz, blues and other musical traditions, bringing nationally known performers onto the same weekend lineup as Louisiana and New Orleans-area talent. Away from the stage, Bestbank Boulevard will feature food and marketplace vendors throughout the weekend. Families will also have access to the Ochsner Health Westbank Kids Zone, which includes video games and inflatables. Admission is free, although VIP options are available. Current festival information lists on-site parking at $15 and notes that a clear-bag policy will be in effect. ## **An arena transformed for one night** Before the outdoor crowds, vendors and larger festival atmosphere arrive, Friday belonged to the anniversary. For one evening, the Alario Center became an elegant black-tie cocktail venue. Guests posed for photographs beneath chandeliers, gathered over food and drinks and filled the room as live music carried through the arena. The formal atmosphere provided a contrast to the festival environment that will follow over the next two days while keeping music, business and community at the center of the evening. It was also a reminder of how much the event has grown since its beginning. What started a decade ago as an effort to create a major cultural event on the West Bank now brings together national and local performers, entrepreneurs, restaurants, sponsors and residents for an entire weekend. For NGEDA, those pieces remain interconnected. Music draws the crowd. Local businesses gain access to that crowd. And the West Bank becomes the destination rather than the place residents leave in search of entertainment. Tickets and information: [https://westbankfest.com](https://westbankfest.com/?utm%5Fsource=ig&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fcontent=link%5Fin%5Fbio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAacVPl0mGKzitfpIi3RQg2ye1ypRH29yKuHdzNJmtm4jXN11K6nLm0eGe2%5FUZg%5Faem%5FYcyQSL74SPH933gixF%5FaaA) --- *Kim M. Braud is the Founder & Editor of Evans Cutchmore Press, an independent newsroom covering Louisiana and the Gulf South. Her reporting focuses on government accountability, infrastructure, business, culture, and the public policies that shape communities.* *© 2026 Evans Cutchmore Press. All rights reserved.* --- [SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSROOM](https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/subscribe/)