The Gretna Heritage Festival is an annual music and culture festival in Gretna, LA, across the Mississippi from New Orleans. The festival is October 3, 4 and 5 and will host acts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Cherub, Marc Broussard, Bonerama and many others.

This year will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Gretna Heritage Festival, which consists of 25 city blocks, 6 stages and a plethora of both national and local musical acts. Past performers have included Earth, Wind and Fire, the Grand Funk Railroad and Three Dog Night, so the festival seems to enjoy a mix of old school and recently popular musicians as well.

Besides the music, the festival has some cultural elements to enjoy. There’s a food court that offers a variety of different cultures’ cuisine including 6 new food trucks for this year. There’s an arts and crafts section to the festival, which includes over 100 craft and clothing booths. There are carnival rides and games for a family-friendly environment with plenty of exciting activities, and the German Beer Garden and Italian Village, which are two areas of the festival meant to highlight those communities with its own music, food and drinks.

To get to Gretna, the festival’s website offers several means of transportation. A bus route stops at Oakwood, JP Public School Systems and Gretna Bus Terminal. Alternatively, there’s the Gretna-Canal Street ferry that crosses the Mississippi. The ferry costs $4.00 round trip. For more information on the operating hours of the bus and ferry, you can visit Gretna Heritage Festival’s website.