San Diego's Gator By The Bay May 11-14, 2023 | Live Music, Dance, Food at a Glance

San Diego's Gator By The Bay May 11-14, 2023 | Live Music, Dance, Food at a Glance

WHAT IS IT? A multi-day festival held at Spanish Landing, the grassy area on the bay across from the airport that feature San Diego’s version of a Mardi Gras celebration with live music, food, and dancing.

WHEN IS IT? May 11-14, 2023. There are activities everyday. Thursday and Friday are evening events, and Sat and Sun are all day and into the evening.

WAIT. WHAT IS THIS AGAIN? Think of this as an non-stop music festival with multiple stages surrounded by food stands selling authentic New Orleans food (and plenty of other options). Toss in some dance lessons, cooking lessons, pop ups selling typical street fair goodies, and people really getting into it (I mean, really getting into it!) and you have Gator by the Bay.

HOW MUCH IS IT? There are plenty of ticket options but if you just wanted to check it on on a Saturday the tickets are $65 and on Sunday they are $60.

IS IT KID FRIENDLY? Yes, and kids 17 and under are free with a paid adult. Don’t worry, people have fun at this event (yes, there are adult beverages) but tops stay on, if that’s your concern :-)

I DON’T DANCE, WILL I LIKE THIS EVENT? Sure, if you like music and enjoy eating crawfish and other New Orleans delights then a couple of hours strolling the grounds is great fun. Stop for some bites, grab a beer, stand back and listen to some music, sounds like the perfect San Diego day to me.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING? If you plan on listening to music a folding chair is nice - Costco has some that fold small enough to fit into a backpack right now that are perfect for this sort of thing. Or just bring a blanket. Sunscreen, you know the drill.

OK, LET’S BE HONEST, IS THIS CRINGE-Y OR AUTHENTIC? I know where you are coming from - I once booked tickets on what I thought was a Star of India authentic sailing adventure and ended up on a fake pirate ship with “cast members” yelling lots of “ahoy, mateys”. This is not that. I’ve been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras many times and this is about as close as you’re going to get without jumping on a plane. The food is authentic, the music is authentic, and the crowd is just plain crazy (in a very fun way).

Gator By The Bay May 11-14, 2023 - Live Music, Dance, Food - Zydeco, Crawfish, Family Fun

What’s that New Orleans Mardi Gras event in San Diego called again? Oh right, Gator by the Bay. This annual event will be held May 11-14th, 2023, and the family fun event you should not miss!

GATOR BY THE BAY AT A GLANCE:

GATOR BY THE BAY is a music and food festival held on Spanish Landing, the grassy area overlooking the bay next to the airport. Expect delicious and authentic New Orlean’s foods like heaps of boiled crawfish and po’boy sandwiches along with music that will make you think you are back on Bourbon Street.

IS IT FAMILY FRIENDLY? Yes, unlike the real Mardi Gras this is a family friendly event - kids under 17 are let in free with a paid adult. There’s even early bird ticket discounts so get your tix early - here’s the link to all of the ticket prices.

DANCE TO THE MUSIC: With 7 stages of rotating music acts you’re bound to find something that makes you want to get out there and dance. What, you can’t dance? Then take a FREE dance lesson and join in the fun. Here’s the updated line up of music acts.

TAKE A NEW ORLEANS COOKING CLASS: Learn the secrets of authentic New Orlean’s cooking complete with samples at the end.

TRY SOME NEW FOODS: You’ll find all of your New Orleans favorites from spicy crawfish to powdery sugared beignets, come hungry because there is so much you will want to try. PRO TIP: If you are going to get the crawfish (you should) I recommend you bring along some disposable food friendly plastic gloves as they can get a bit messy to eat. I know, this is a bit nerdy but trust me on this! Target has a box of these for less than $5.

MORE GATOR BY THE BAY TIPS!

1. Bring a small folding chair or blanket if you plan to listen to some music. People come early to stake out their spots so if there is a music act you want to see make sure you plan ahead. Here’s the music line up.

2. Parking is a bit of a pain so park at Liberty Station and take an Uber in. Or ride your bike in - there’s free bike valet for the first 120 bikes. You could also park at the airport but make sure you make reservations.

3. You CANNOT bring COOLERS, TENTS, POP-UPs, LARGE UMBRELLAS, OUTSIDE ALCOHOL or PETS. You CAN bring low back lawn chairs, blanket, personal umbrella and one small bottle of water.

4. Buy your tickets EARLY so you can get the early bird discount.