Mirliton Festival

Some call it chayote, choko, or even alligator pear. Still others just call it ugly. No matter—the Bywater neighborhood festival that honors the mirliton, as we call it down here, is not a beauty pageant but a simple celebration of its presence in Louisiana cuisine. The unique Mirliton Festival that started "as kind of a joke" has survived and thrived into its twenty-fifth year. The constant ingredients to its success? Great food and music. Music from Daria and the Hip Drops, One Love Brass Band, and many more will provide the soundtrack for the mirliton consumption madness. Art market and children's activities, too. The festival is free this year. 11 am–7 pm on the corner of Piety and Royal streets. bywatermirlitonfestival.com.