Three dark skinned men play musical instruments against a light blue background. On the right, one man wears a large blue feathered headdress, a blue patterned and ruffled coat, and plays the tambourine and sings. In the middle, one man wears a red blazer and plays the saxophone. On the left one man has orange and yellow stripes painted across his cheeks and wears a large brown, black, and white feathered headdress and a white embroidered and patterned coat while he plays the tambourine Three dark skinned men play musical instruments against a light blue background. On the right, one man wears a large blue feathered headdress, a blue patterned and ruffled coat, and plays the tambourine and sings. In the middle, one man wears a red blazer and plays the saxophone. On the left one man has orange and yellow stripes painted across his cheeks and wears a large brown, black, and white feathered headdress and a white embroidered and patterned coat while he plays the tambourine

Church Street becomes Bourbon Street as New Orleans brass band/Mardi Gras Indian group Cha Wa trades the Mississippi for Lake Champlain. In their ultra-special Festival of Fools appearance, the band transports us with a pair of stage shows and adds a most-welcome dash of New Orleans spice to the kickoff parade. Described by Paste magazine as “the future of New Orleans music,” Cha Wa is a Grammy-nominated force of nature, distilling generations of joy and explosive expression.

Don’t miss Cha Wa’s special Saturday Twilight Series concert in City Hall Park.