Hogs for the Cause will be happening this year but at a different location and a new date. The annual event will take place this year June 4 – 5, 2021 in Belle Chasse.

This will be the first time the event will be held outside of the city. The location will be at a Plaquemines Parish Government Facility with a 15-acre green space.

Patrons will enjoy one of New Orleans’ biggest food events but on a smaller scale. Rene Louapre and Becker Hall, co-founders, will be adding protocols for coronavirus safety this year. They are turning to health care professionals such as Children’s Hospital and LCMC Health, and state and parish officials, including the Louisiana Fire Marshal’s to oversee the event safety.

“Things could change between now and then but we want people to know that we’re taking a community-first approach with all of this,” Louapre said. “The public health considerations are where we start all of our decisions.”

The change in date and the location is due to COVID-19. The original dates in March 2020 were cancelled due to the pandemic and the new location stems from the UNO Lakefront Arena currently being used as a COVID-19 testing site. Orleans Parish also restricts outdoor events to a limit of 150 so the festival had to “think outside of the city” so to speak.

Plaquemines Parish allows 50% capacity or one person per 30 square feet at outside events. Hogs for the Cause hopes to keep their attendance lower than allowed with a capped capacity at 25% (approximately 5,000 patrons per day).

There will also be more of a separation between cook-off team areas and public areas this year. The tech-enabled wristband which has been used since 2008 will help reduce contact with vending booths and ticket lines.

Hogs for the cause raises money to support families dealing with pediatric brain cancer. The Last event in 2019 raised around $2 million. Even with the smaller scaled event, Louapre and Hall will make sure the fundraising is a success this year.

“It’s important for us to continue doing this work,” said Louapre. “We have commitments to families and programs around the country. The pandemic hasn’t stopped the needs of these families.”

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COVID-19 really changed the way New Orleans put on their events last year. In fact, many events were postponed or cancelled due to the pandemic. The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (NOWFE) although was postponed, Aimee Brown, NOWFE executive director said they found different ways to bring back some of its features, including wine dinners at restaurants and a seated wine tasting.

The NOWFE has been held around Memorial Day weekend each year but this has not been the case for the past few years. The festival is in talks about changing the event to June permanently. Since the festival has been moved from around Memorial Day there has been a spike in participation from wineries.

This year the five-day event will be held June 9 – 13, 2021 with a twist. This year the festival will feature seminars and specialty food and drink experiences without the Royal Street Stroll. Patrons will still be able to experience the Grand Tastings and the higher-end Vinola tasting; the Tournament of Rosés, a rosé themed tasting; and the Burlesque, Bubbly & Brunch event. Tickets will be limited this year and sold with occupancy rules at each venue.

Events such as the Grand Tastings and Vinola which are usually “walk-around” events will be held in smaller groups with staggered starting times. This is the current plan however this could change due to a change in protocols at the time of the event.

“We know this is a fluid situation, we want to keep as much of the traditional NOWFE events that we can offer safely and we’re working with all partners to make sure we can do that,” Brown said.

“We’ve done more than 45 events with restaurants and hotels in the past year and we’ve learned a lot from them,” she said. “They know how to do these things safely that’s why they’re great partners.”

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