Despite the warm temperatures and a few late sprinkles, the Freret Market, one of the key recovery projects for the Freret and Milan areas, debuted this weekend to much fanfare. 60 vendors participated selling a wide array of items, including shrimp, paintings, and jade dragons. Music was plentiful with performances by Billy Iuso & The Restless Natives, To Be Continued Brass Band, and Rudy’s Caribbean Funk Band throughout the day. Attendance exceeded expectations by all accounts, with an estimated 1,300 people attending the market including appearances by Mayor C. Ray Nagin, Council persons Stacy Head, Shelly Midura, and Cynthia Willard-Lewis, and Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landreu amongst others. Recovery Czar Ed Blakely, also in attendance, said strong neighborhoods (in referring to the Freret Market and the work put in to creating the market by the people and organizations in the neighborhood) are what he meant by his now famous phrase “cranes in September”. The Freret Market will operate from Noon to 5 PM on the first Saturday of every month at the parking lot near the corner of Freret and Napoleon. For more information about the Freret Marketor to inquire about getting a booth at the next Freret Market please contact Peter Gardner at freretmarket@gmail.com

Event PhotosBelow