New Orleans is coming to the Atlantic City boardwalk this summer, and we’re not talking about the Showboat casino. Of course, you can catch Big Easy style parades and shows there, if you like, but this is out on the boardwalk. Some of these are pretty big-time acts, and it’s all free.  

   The organizers promise beads will be thrown from the stage, and there will be second-line parades. And to add to the spirit of the festival, you can even buy alcoholic beverages to consume while you watch. It’s a first for selling booze on the boardwalk, unless you count the corrupt days of the 1920s, but I wasn’t around back then.

   With one exception, the music starts at 6 p.m. Monday nights at Kennedy Plaza, on the boardwalk in front of the old Convention Hall. They’ll also have shows the night before and the day of the Atlantic City Airshow. Some seats are provided, but they’re hard benches, so bring your own if it makes you more comfortable.

   Here’s the lineup:

   – August 2: New Riders of the Purple Sage

   – August 9: Buckwheat Zydeco

   – August 16: Runnin’ Partners with George Porter Jr.

   – August 23: Nevill Brothers and the Voice of the Wetlands

   – August 24: Bonerama

   – August 25, at 3:30 p.m.: John Lee Hooker Jr.

   – August 30: Guitar Shorty and La Master A Otro Nivel

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