The Smoke and Oaks BBQ and Music Festival planned by Destrehan Plantation for May 29-30 has been canceled, with plantation Executive Director Tracy Smith noting that a lack of financial sponsorships, coupled with costs, made the event non-viable.
Smith said while some sponsors did lend their support, there simply wasn’t enough traction to proceed onward with the event.
“As much as we wanted to put on an event like this, to spend as much energy, effort and resources on something that wasn’t going to be beneficial, ultimately, didn’t make sense,” Smith said. “After reviewing and revising the budget, and going through it, it would have almost been break even. It’s not that we got no support from sponsors, but nobody was going to go to the level of what we were looking for, a major sponsorship.”
More than 100 businesses were invited to a sponsorship meeting and breakfast in early February, and the River Parish Tourism Commission awarded an $8,000 grant to help with startup costs, but the breakfast drew sparse attendance.
The festival was intended to be a fundraiser for Destrehan Plantation, like its Fall Festival, continuing the mission of the River Road Historical Society to preserve history and provide education through Destrehan Plantation.
Smith said with the cancellation, his efforts would be focused on promoting general tourism and attracting visitors to the venue, while also helping to plan Destrehan Plantation’s upcoming Heritage Weekend event from May 1-3. The Heritage Weekend event has been expanded from one to three days and will be open to the public for the first time after being featured primarily for local schoolchildren in past years. The festivities that weekend will include historical reenactments, performances, demonstrations, exhibits and hands-on activities for visitors of all ages.
“With Heritage Weekend, the group that participates are volunteers,” Smith said. “It doesn’t cost us to do much of what we plan there, and it stays in line with what we’re doing here with history and education.”
For its debut, the Smoke and Oaks Festival was to feature at least five live bands or acts, including Nashville recording artist Kayla Woodson. Among activities planned were a competition for best brisket, ribs and chicken, with more than 30 teams to participate for the contests.
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