Free admission, a decade of history, and a lineup topped by R&B veteran Joe return to the Alario Center in Westwego next weekend as the Westbank Heritage Festival prepares for its 10th edition. The two-day event runs Saturday and Sunday at the Alario Center on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, spreading across a music stage and outdoor festival grounds on Segnette Field alongside a vendor market and a kids' area.
The festival was founded to expand event offerings on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, with involvement from the New Growth Economic Development Association and Jefferson Parish Councilmember Byron Lee of District 3. Since its founding, economic initiatives led by the association have generated more than $4 million in total regional economic impact, hiring over 140 musicians and driving revenue to more than 120 Westbank businesses and restaurants, per the New Growth Economic Development Association. This year's festival is presented by Premiere Automotive Group of Harvey, as Councilman Byron Lee announced on Facebook.
Joe, King George and Jonathan Nelson Top the Bill
Saturday's headliner is Joe, the stage name of Joseph Lewis Thomas, who found early success in the 1990s with R&B and soul music, as reported by Gambit. He left Jive Records in 2007 and has released music independently ever since, continuing to tour regularly, the outlet notes. Sunday's headliner is King George, a former rapper turned blues and soul singer whose national Southern soul and blues following grew after his 2022 breakout single “Keep On Rollin',” according to Apple Music and Ace Visionz Productions.
Gospel programming fills the Alario Center on Sunday, led by Jonathan Nelson, who has spent more than two decades singing contemporary Christian music. Nelson grew up in the church in Baltimore and wrote songs for Donald Lawrence & Company before finding success with his worship anthem “My Name Is Victory.” The festival's worship service begins at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Alario Center, with gospel performers including Joel Jones and 3MC taking the stage at 1 p.m., per the same account from Gambit.
A Deep Local Lineup Backs the Headliners
The bill also draws on New Orleans talent with deep local roots. Donte Allen, who joined Shamarr Allen and Cyril Neville onstage at Jazz Fest this past April and appeared on Neville's album Don't Wait 'Til I'm Gone, is set for his first billed festival appearance, the report states. Daniel Heartless is also scheduled to perform, alongside Kortana, who appears with singer Raven.
Baby Boy Da Prince, whose 2007 single “The Way I Live” climbed to the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, released the single “1Time” in 2025 and joins the bill as well. The Renaissance Orchestra, known for blending orchestral elements with hip-hop, trap, R&B and pop, has previously collaborated with Boosie and Fred Hammond. Jessica Harvey and the Difference, a women's choir, also perform, rounding out a lineup that additionally includes music from Roots of Music, DJ Captain Charles and DJ Polo.
Past Lineups Set the Bar
The 2026 bill continues a track record of major national names on the Westbank Heritage Festival stage. Previous installments brought Musiq Soulchild and saxophonist Gerald Albright to Westwego in 2022, along with Dru Hill and Tamar Braxton in later years, according to New Orleans Magazine.
Food, Parking and Festival Rules
General admission remains free, though the festival is offering upgraded VIP access, with VIP access including a climate-controlled lounge and front-of-stage viewing. On-site parking costs $15, and attendees may bring folding chairs but are not permitted to bring ice chests or outside food and drink, per Gambit's reporting.
Twenty food vendors are set up along the festival's marketplace corridor, dubbed Bestbank Boulevard and sponsored by local healthcare provider Priority Health Care, according to Westbank Heritage Food & Music Festival News. Vendors include Daddy & Me Catering and Young Johnson & DNOLA's Kitchen serving Creole seafood, Food Symphony Restaurant serving ribs and fries, Numada serving Caribbean dishes, and Z-Tecas serving tacos. The kids' area includes inflatables, bounce houses, a video gaming trailer and arts and craft activities, and the festival provides full details at westbankfest.com. A clear bag policy is also in effect for attendees.
A Venue Still Growing
The Alario Center itself opened in spring 1999 as a joint development between the State of Louisiana, Jefferson Parish and the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, featuring a 2,000-seat main arena and 105,000 square feet, according to the Alario Center. In January, Jefferson Parish and state leaders officially opened the adjacent $45 million, 147-acre John A. Alario Jr. Sports Complex, expanding the Westwego facility's footprint to boost sports tourism and regional events, as reported by the WVUE FOX 8.
