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 2023 MUSIC LINE UP: SAN DIEGO'S MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION MAY 11 - 14, 2023

Planning Your Visit to San Diego’s Premiere Mardi Gras Celebration, Gator by the Bay, May 11-14, 2023

For the 20th year in a row, San Diego celebrates New Orleans with a four day Mardi Gras celebration on May 11th to the 14th, 2023. Unlike the real Mardi Gras where you have to shield your kids eyes once the beads start tossing, Gator by the Bay is a family friendly event that still retains the authentic vibe of the real thing, especially once the music starts flowing. The event takes place at San Diego’s Spanish Landing, the grassy area on the bay near the San Diego Airport. Here’s some basic info on the event.

PRO TIP: KIDS 17 AND UNDER ARE FREE WITH PAID ADULT

Last year I was a rookie, a lookie loo who came to the event not really knowing what to expect. I ate some crawfish, I got powdered sugar all over my shirt from a freshly fried beignet, and I wandered from stage to stage as the music played. Nothing wrong with that strategy, I had a great time and if you just want to do something unique and different on a sunny San Diego weekend then you won’t be disappointed.

San Diego’s own Mardi Gras Celebration, Gator by the Bay

But I also noticed that those in the know, those who have done this before, brought their own beach chairs and staked out spots at one of the various stages and kicked back sipping a cold one until the music started. Yes, they PLANNED out the day and if you want to get the most of your time at Gator by the Bay you might want to do the same thing.

PRO TIP: BRING A SMALL CAMP CHAIR LIKE THIS ONE YOU CAN GET FROM COSTCO - I HAVE IT AND IT PACKS DOWN SO SMALL AND LIGHT YOU WON’T MIND CARRYING IT. (Not a paid ad, I just love it!)

What kind of music? You can expect Zydeco, blues, Creole and Cajun, rockabilly, salsa, and New Orleans jazz, all punctuated with strolling buskers and even a Mardi Gras marching band as they parade through the crowds.

Gator by the Bay, May 11-14, 2023

GATOR BY THE BAY MUSIC LINEUP PREVIEW

Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience

Thursday

Zydeco Roots, Creole
For nearly 40 years, two- time GRAMMY award winning, 8th generation Louisiana Creole, Terrance Simien, has been shattering the myths and often misinformation about what his indigenous Zydeco roots music is — and is not.

Cedric Watson et Bijou Creole

Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Cajun, Creole & Zydeco

One of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole and Zydeco (Louisiana French) music over the last decade, Cedric Watson is a heralded four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist and songwriter.

The Revelers
Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Cajun, Zydeco, Country and Blues

Grammy nominees The Revelers’ sound is a spicy jambalaya of swamp pop, Cajun, Zydeco, country and blues, celebrating the delectable flavor of southwest Louisiana.

Rusty Metoyer & the Zydeco Krush

Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Zydeco

Lake Charles native Rusty Metoyer is one of Southwest Louisiana’s premier stars. Metoyer and his unique brand of Zydeco music raise the bar.

Michael Doucet & Tom Rigney

Sunday

Cajun, Roots, Blues

Two of the finest roots music fiddle players on the planet! Two-time Grammy winner Michael Doucet, along with Tom Rigney, join together for an incredible performance.. Backed by Rigney’s hot band, Flambeau, the show will feature material from their latest album “Roll On”.

People really get into it at Gator by the Bay!

Gator by the Bay - San Diego's "Hidden" Music Fest - Planning for 2023 with Tips and Tickets!

Gator by the Bay is San Diego’s Most Fun Event (that no one knows about!)

I must admit - I didn’t know anything about Gator by the Bay until last year. It was like I fell into a Alice in Wonderland world with people dressed in crazy costumes, New Orleans parades (complete with beads), dancing and music. It was so much fun (and so delicious) I’m still smiling. So what is it? It’s hard to explain but it’s unlike anything you might imagine happening in San Diego, an authentic four day Mardi Gras celebration from May 11-14, 2023.

GET TICKET INFO HERE

I learned a lot last year from my day at the Gator by the Bay event and I’ll share some tips with you so you can get the most out of this super fun event. And spoiler alert - you should go!

WHAT EXACTLY IS “GATOR BY THE BAY” IN SAN DIEGO?

It’s sort of like a four day Mardi Gras party down in the Spanish Landing, the grassy area across from the airport with views of they bay. OK, but what is it??? At first glance it looks like a street fair with vendors and food carts but it’s much more than that. With seven music stages, authentic foods like boiled crawfish, beignets and po’boys, this isn’t like anything you’ve ever experienced in San Diego. There’s plenty of people watching to be had (verrry interesting) and parades with beads tossed to the crowds, just like New Orleans.

If you like people watching, Gator by the Bay is in a class by itself.

MUSIC, DANCING, AND GOOD EATS IS WHAT GATOR BY THE BAY IS ALL ABOUT

Now remember, I had never been and had absolutely NO IDEA what to expect so let me lay it out for you. First and foremost, this is a music festival with people bringing in their beach or camp chairs and staking out spots by the various stages. There’s a listing of people playing but it won’t necessarily matter if you don’t know the artists because the acts come and go throughout the day. It’s a bit like the old San Diego Street Scene, New Orleans Style.

No need to dress up though if you have tails it would not be wrong to wear them.

Most people just put their chairs out and roamed the area, searching for food and beer, then returning to check out the music and hit the dance floors. It’s blues, zydeco, rock, and even a marching band playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” (pro tip: Follow that parade!).

CRAYFISH AND OTHER DELICIOUS DELIGHTS

New Orleans is famous for their foods, from Jambalaya and Po’Boys to my favorite, boiled crawfish. Wait, you’ve never had these? The first time I had them was on a business trip to New Orleans where I was slightly (more than slightly) tipsy and they poured a pile of these in front of me. Like little lobsters, you twist off the tails and pinch out the tail meat, then suck down the juices in the head, all while trying not to get the red spicy seasonings all over your clothes.

These are hard to find in San Diego but they had a seemingly never ending vat of crawfish boiling away. I was expecting rip off prices for these (and willing to pay, why not?) but for $15 I got enough to satisfy my craving. There’s a larger $25 platter and if you want to add boiled potatoes and corn you can. I’ll say it - these were better than the ones I had in New Orleans on Bourbon Street.

DON’T MISS THE BEIGNETS!

Like a cross between a cream puff and a doughnut, beignets are another “must get” food at both New Orleans and Gator by the Bay. Crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside, with enough powdered sugar to fly though the air as soon as you take a bite. Tip: Don’t wear black unless you want to wear white specks for the rest of the day.

PLAN AHEAD TIPS

Like I said, this was my first time so while I had a GREAT time let me share some wisdom with you so you can have an even better time than I did.

1. Bring a folding chair - I was jealous of the people who were relaxing in their chairs with a beer and enjoying the music while I stood up in the back. People brought beach chairs, tall camping chairs, blankets, everything goes here.

2. Check out the music schedule so you know if there’s an act you might want to see.

3. Plan to stay all day - this isn’t like a street fair where you come and go in a couple of hours. You’ll want to dance (or take their free dance lessons), you’ll want to sample all the food, you might even want to check out the cooking demos.

4. While there are plenty of food stalls selling things you can find at any street fair (turkey legs, nachos, etc) be selective and make sure you try all of the New Orleans specialties first. You can have a bratwurst later, right?

5. Parking can be a bit of a hassle so we just parked at Liberty Station and took an Uber in - about $10 each way. No big deal, and no problems.

Go! Just Go!

If Covid has taught me anything it’s that life is short so when out of the ordinary things like this come around don’t waste a lot of time wondering if it’s going to be fun or if it’s worth it, just buy that ticket and go. If you like music, food, and just getting out of the house to do something cool in San Diego then make sure you go to the next Gator by the Bay Festival in San Diego.

Bring your beach chairs and stake out your spot at Gator by the Bay.