The annual Bywater party began in 1989, organized by neighborhood boosters who thought their section of town needed its own event. Longtime Bywater resident Mary Cooper was among the founders and recalled that the first fest began "as kind of a joke." According to Mary, the thinking was, "They have festivals in Louisiana for everything else, why not mirlitons?"

For several years the fest was produced in tandem with the Bywater Home Tour. In 1991 the festival even held a parade from Press Street down Rampart Street to the Stallings Center with the F.T. Nicholls High School (now Fredrick Douglas) marching band. Over the fest's 19 year history, one thing has remained the same: the Mirliton Festival has great food and superlative music. excerpt for Mirliton Festival Program

Music-Food-Arts & Crafts-T-Shirts

The Bywater Neighborhood Association presents The 2009 Mirliton Festival.

Saturday November 7, 2009
11:00a.m.-7:00p.m.
Admission $5.00 - BNA Members $3.00 - Children Under 5 Free
at Markey Park on the corner of Piety and Royal Streets in Bywater.

2009 Musical Guests include
The Valparaiso Men's Chorus feat. Alex McMurray
DJ Jubilee
Happy Talk Band
Ratty Scurvics
Guitar Lightning Lee
Hurray For The Riff Raff
R. Scully Rough 7
King Louie One Man Band
Panorama Jazz Band

Great Food from some of the
Neighborhood's Best Eateries
The Country Club
Café Roux
Frady's
Jack Dempsey's
The Joint
Karma Kitchen
Markey's Bar
Satsuma Cafe
Sally's Country Gourmet Foods
Wine by Bacchanal
Gelato by Sucré
Popsicles by Meltdown