CRAW-WHAT? HERE'S THE RUNDOWN
Never heard of Crawfest before? Don't worry here's the SparkNotes (or CliffsNotes —whatever floats your boat): Crawfest is a music and food festival hosted annually at Tulane University with unlimited servings of crawfish, live music, food vendors, and so much more. The festival is one of Tulane's largest events and attracts over 8,000 guests every year. Everyone from Tulane students, staff, faculty, parents, alumni, and even members of the New Orleans community attend Crawfest. For many students, Crawfest is a major highlight of their Tulane experience. Believe it or not, Crawfest is totally run and operated by students. So, it's a festival for Tulane students by Tulane students. In fact, Crawfest is one of the country's largest student-run music and food festivals.
Due to the pandemic last year, Crawfest 2020 was canceled with only weeks to go, and this year Crawfest 2021 is back but in a hybrid format. The in-person portion will take place on-campus at Tulane, and anyone with access to a Splash Card will receive unlimited servings of crawfish. The live music for Crawfest 2021 will be done via a livestream, and available for free to anyone online at crawfest.tulane.edu. Many local New Orleans bands like Galactic, Honey Island Swamp Band, Water Seed, Richard Rourke & the Voodoo Collective, and Bo Dollis Jr. & The Wild Magnolias are featured in the musical lineup this year.
YOUR DONATION MAY SUPPORT
Donations of any size — small or large — are hugely appreciated and will go towards bettering future Crawfests for all Tulanians. Donors to this year's WaveStarter campaign will help pay for crawfish, beverages, musical performers, operating expenses, and everything that makes Crawfest a very special event. A large part of what makes the Tulane experience unique is Crawfest, and the united support of parents, alumni, students, staff, faculty, and the New Orleans community will help keep Crawfest and the Tulane experience great.
GIVE BACK TO THE FESTIVAL THAT GIVES SO MUCH TO THE TULANE COMMUNITY
The student-run board truly hopes you are enjoying Crawfest's livestream as the board has put in so many hours perfecting the experience for the Tulane community. Crawfest this year is holding a fundraiser to help improve the experience for guests in the future. Donations of any size — small or large — are hugely appreciated and will go towards bettering future Crawfests for all Tulanians. Recently, revenue from on-campus sponsorships has declined which has reduced the funds for Crawfest.
Donors to this year's WaveStarter campaign will help make an impact with gifts that may support crawfish, beverages, musical performers, operating expenses, and everything that makes Crawfest a very special event. A large part of what makes the Tulane experience unique is Crawfest, and the united support of parents, alumni, students, staff, faculty, and the New Orleans community will continue a great Crawfest experience.
The livestream is free to anyone with internet access and is featuring some well-known New Orleans bands. Check out the lineup below:
- Galactic
- Honey Island Swamp Band
- Water Seed
- Richard Rourke & The Voodoo Collective
- Bo Dollis Jr. & The Wild Magnolias
Why are donations necessary?
Beyond crawfish, there are other operating costs for Crawfest each year. Some of the operating costs are critical to the festival like security services, facility services, printing expenses, and waste disposal services. In years past Crawfest has relied on on-campus sponsorships to support various aspects of the festival, and now Crawfest will rely on the Tulane community's donations.
As one of the country's largest student-run festivals, Crawfest is an event made for students by students. The student volunteers dedicate endless hours to provide an amazing experience without any form of payment. The student-run board appreciates any donation you are able to provide.