NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Happy first day of spring! Springtime in New Orleans means festivals, parades and fantastic crawfish boils. It’s the season to spend with friends and family and enjoy the food and events that make our city so special. Here are Where Y’at's weekend picks! First, calling all bourbon lovers. Bourbon Fest is returning for another year, so indulge and mingle Thursday, March 20 through the weekend with local connoisseurs. Sample the finest bourbons at the Grand Tastings and learn about its history in educative seminars while witnessing live judging by industry experts. Get ready to peel some crawfish! Starting Thursday, March 20, the Louisiana Crawfish Festival is back for its 50th anniversary. Taking place in St. Bernard’s Frederick Sigur Civic Center, there’ll be tons of crawfish, as well as carnival rides and music by The Chee-Weez, Chapel Hart and others. On Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22, Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater returns to the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Presented by the New Orleans Ballet Association don’t miss these riveting programs offering an out-of-body experience through dance. Finally, on Saturday, March 22 celebrate Jefferson Parish’s 200th birthday during the Park 2 Park 10K race and Bicentennial Bash. The race will start at LaSalle Park and finish in Lafreniere Park. The Bicentennial Bash afterward features The Top Cats, great food and family-friendly activities. For a complete preview of the upcoming Spring Festival season, pick up the new issue of Where Y’at Magazine this weekend at restaurants, coffee shops and grocery stores all over town. This special issue features a look at upcoming spring festivals, as well as a profile of the hottest restaurants in town in our Spring Restaurant Guide. Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter. Latest Posts John Emery Jr. announces return to LSU for his seventh season of college football LSU 'walking double-double' Aneesah Morrow is closing out her prolific career in March Madness Hannan's Drew Timmons named Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year Top Democrats, unions condemn upcoming Trump order to dismantle Education Department Delta plane that flipped upside down in Toronto showed high rate of descent: report ...read more read less