Gator By The Bay

The atmosphere is worth the price. The crawfish comes all the way from Louisana and it’s amazing. There are about 4 stages for the lives music and all the bands were great.
This is the one festival I look forward to each year on Mother’s Day weekend.

Fun Festival with good variety of music. Had some good Louisiana Zydeco bands, a fun female Cajun style group and some Blues bands that were variable in quality. I’d say Zydeco groups better than blues acts. Food O.K. Crab Fish cakes disappointing undercooked. Seemed doughy. Best was sausage & boiled red potatoes at Crawfish boil place. Beniets disappointing at vendor. All other vendors seemed fun. Liked presence of radio stations booths and Bön Temps Dance floor & space. Nice dance floors too.

Just about the best festival I’ve ever attended. Seven stages with non-​stop music of all types, 2 huge covered dance floors, dance lessons all day, cooking classes, Mardi Gras-​style parades, kids 17 and under get in free, which was nice for my friend who brought her whole extended family on Mother’s Day. I’ve been going to Gator by the Bay for over 10 years now, and it just keeps getting better.

Love, love, love this event. It has something for everyone whether it be a wide range of music from Blues, Zydeco, Rockabilly, Country, Jazz, Swing, and everything in between. There are two huge covered dance floors plus two others in front of the stages. The food choices are varied from Louisiana, East Africa, Mexican, and lots of grilled meats and desserts. There are many vendors selling their wares and activities for kids. Spanish Landing park is convenient to the airport and has a beautiful view of the bay.

I really can’t say enough good things about this festival. The music, the food, the attendees, and the locale all combine to produce a guaranteed good time. The staff super friendly. The dance floors rockin’. Something for everyone. Highly highly recommended if you like danceable music — cajun, zydeco, blues. Great singers, fabulous accordion (yes, accordion!) players, rub-​board jockeys, a mardi gras style parade, fun for kids, adults, and grandparents. Just splendid all around. And the food! Crawdads from New Orleans, watermelon coolers… And the music! And the dancing! And the food! And the music! And the dancing!

It cost $ 40 to get in per person kids are free. Had a lot of fun the musicians here are Beyond great for the price you’re simply getting the deal of a lifetime. The person it selling the sunglasses was very hesitant but ended up on her Inc a deal that they had on the Gator by the Bay app. The sunglasses are extremely cheap and broke within 10 minutes I took him back and felt that the person working there did not feel obligated to honor the quality of his product as they are cheap.
Everything is fairly inexpensive compared to the same people if you were to find them at the Del Mar Fair I think the entrance price of $ 40 reflects that.
A great place to drink beer have family fun in the sun listen to music enjoy the day also a great thing to have as a family tradition to go once a year.

$ 15 – 20 to park. $ 40 to get in. $ 8 for fake craft beer (all InBev selections). My $ 15 lunch was not good, though others seemed to have made better vendor choices. Music was decent, which is the only worthwhile thing, as everything else there was vendors selling steak knives, luggage handbags and all manner of random stuff.
The place was only half capacity on Sat. and mostly older. My guess is 20 & 30 somethings aren’t willing to spend that much to get into an experience similar to a free farmer’s market. For the same price, a beer festival gives your lots of beer. Heck, they didn’t even have any New Orleans drinks for sale!

This would be a bit strange review: a Zydeco event from the point of view of a swing dancer. Still, there are not too many places in San Diego where one can dance for literally days in the open air, so here is the cheat sheet for the ones willing to try. If you are NOT a swing dancer, note that your mileage might be very different from mine.
Logistics: Event is pricey (about $ 40 per day, with parking running at another $ 20). On Friday, you can come in for $ 35 + $ 15 parking, and there would be little or no crowd. This might be good if you can find a partner — see below. On the day I visited the bands on the swing/​blues stage were disastrously bad (just glorified noise that definitely required ear protection and provided nothing in terms of musicality). If this happens to you, do not despair and try the rockabilly stage that houses some decent rock-​n-​roll. There was no shade over either blues/​swing or rockabilly stages, so use sunscreen on the sunny days. It can get a bit chilly in the evening, so do not forget your jacket.
Crowd: on Friday, few tens of people at each stage, except the main, Zydeco, one (there were hundreds of folks under the Zydeco tent by the end of the night). Skill level of followers ranged form absolute beginners to quite advanced. Warning to followers: on Friday, definitely bring your own lead: there were many more followers than leads at the event.
Food/​drinks: The food I tried was pretty bad, I was not able to figure out the logistics of the drinks (turn money into tickets and then tickets into drinks? — don’t I have better things to do?), so I suggest bringing your very own water bottle.
Overall: a lot of bucks for the bang. I do not feel ripped off, but unlikely to visit again. If you are into Zydeco, this might be a five-​star event, however.

Gator by the Bay was a complete rip off!!! I went on Thursday 5÷5÷16 and was very disappointed. There were only two booths selling food (Pearsons and Flavors of East Africa). Pearsons was too expensive based on the small portions they served. Also, they advertised selling Gumbo, but had none. The only thing Flavors OEA was selling was sambusas because the rest of the food was cold. Worst of all there were no crawfish to be found on this day. The attendance was low with mostly elderly people. The live music playing in the tent area was okay I guess and you had to pay extra for seats. Overall, this was the worst experience. I feel like I got cheated because I paid $ 93 for tickets, $ 15 for parking plus money spent on some food and drinks. :(

This festival is a fun event but is far too expensive to be a family event. We were priced out a couple of years ago. Maybe for baby boomers with out families? It’s nice that it’s mother’s day weekend and all that, but not many families could handle the parking, food and admission prices. If you traveled to get there, add a big prices for a hotel. What I have never figured out is the map of the place. One of the big dance tents is at one end, but the food and drinks are way far on the other end. There is a tunnel effect going to buy food where it’s very difficult to get to the food and drink vendors, the later in the day it gets, the more there’s a big traffic jam trying to get to the food. Food is OK, typical festival food that you can get most places. If you like cajun/​blues events, I suggest some of the others in Los Angeles (Simi, Long Beach) that are way less crowded.

I’ve been to Gator By the Bay maybe 3 times over the years.
The music is phenomenal, and lots of it! If you don’t care for one act, there are several more to choose from. And the dance floors are huge, and numerous. I love zydeco/​cajun music and the blues, and I’m so grateful we are blessed to be able to have such great players so far from Louisiana.
I love the cajun food as well.
I don’t uderstand why the other people didn’t enjoy themselves, but this festival has always been one of my favorites.

I was born and raised in New Orleans and have lived there all my life until my recent move a few years ago to San Diego. Gator b By The Bay is like flying home without getting on a plane. The music of Louisiana takes me home every time. But it’s not just Louisiana music, it’s all sorts of music blues, latin, roots, swing, you name it, there is something for everybody.
Now as far as the prices I would say they are in line or a bit lower than other festivals with this much entertainment. And if you want to listen to some great music or dance in an awesome safe waterfront environment, this is the place to be. Festivals are at the top of my entertainment list, but they aren’t cheap, but if you can’t afford it, that’s not the fault of the festival. I often have to pass on things I can’t afford, but that’s on me.
I attend at least 10 different festivals each year including my hometown of New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana, and I have to say Gator By The bay is my favorite. Yes the great weather with cool breezes off the harbor has a lot to do with it. So does the great music and dancing, without feeling like you went for a run in a sweat suit like my beloved New Orleans.
Now i will say that I enjoy the food and I have my favorites, and know which ones are authentic. I do take issue with some of the vendors, but I could name several festivals I attend each year where I have faced the same issue when it come to food. You do have to be a bit savvy if you want a real Louisiana experience.
Some people will say the food prices are high. I would say they are inline with typical festival pricing, no higher and in some cases less.
Some people complained about the cost of parking, but if they would have just looked at the Gator By The bay website they would find free paring with shuttles back and forth.
I would agree it cost a few coins to bring a family to any festival. But if you love great weather, great music, dancing and cool people, Gator by The Bay is the place for you.
It’s easy to find fault with any event. But that’s not what I go to a festival for.
I say check it out for yourself.
le bon temps roule
Click a link below to see just how much fun Gator By The Bay can be.

Gator by the bay was great, great music and good gator on a stick. Wayne brooks from chi town is my fav. Will go next year

Disappointed by the music, food, beer. I went there expecting a taste of home. All I got was venders trying to take my money after spending too much to get in there.

1-​line Summary: If better beer I would have given this event 4 stars
Plusses:
— The music was good, the weather was good, and it was crowded but not overly crowded.
— Very quick beer lines
— Good amount of restrooms/​portapotties with relatively short lines.
— Lots of food vendors, with everything from the thematic BBQ & Crawfish & Jambalaya to the non-​thematicThai food.
Food experience:
The jambalaya that I ordered was just so-​so (I wouldn’t order it again from the same vendor if I go next year). The sweet potato pie that I ordered from a different vendor was tasty, and I’d definitely have that again.
Minus … the beer offerings:
The only «craft» beer they had was RedHook. Despite not sourcing from any of our amazing local breweries (boo, hiss), I was glad to see that they had included LongHammer IPA as one of their RedHook choices since I have enjoyed LongHammer at my local pool hall on many occasions. Unfortunately, the LongHammer that they were selling at the festival didn’t taste anywhere near as good as the LongHammer I’ve had many times before. I was quite disappointed in the flavor, and it wasn’t even consistent from station to station.
If they would boost the beer to a better craft selection, especially including some local craft beers, I would have boosted my rating of the event to 4 stars.

Another great year at the Gator Festival. My fav was probably the hush puppies. Don’t get me wrong I loved the HUGE sausages and the jambalaya but those hush puppies were simply awesome!
Many vendors and the beer was flowing. The music was on but I was more interested in the food. Go figure!

I’ve heard so much about this Gator By the Bay festival and every year I miss it for whatever reason. Well, this year I was around and my friend was visiting from out of town, so I thought it would be a fun thing to check out. UT San Diego had a discount deal online, so I got my ticket for $ 27 instead of the regular $ 35. At first I balked at the prices, but then I figured there MUST be something inside that festival that makes it worth that price. Maybe some good music? Unique vendor booths? Interesting events? Authentic cajun food… love my jambalaya! So ok fine. I bit the bullet and took my chances.
We get there and parking is $ 20. Uh, wtf? It’s some dusty, gravelly shit hole with zero security. But couldn’t find any other lot or parking area, so fine. Another bullet down my gullet. I’ve got hot steaming bowls of jambalaya dancing in my head. Let’s go get’em!
We walk in and it looks like the backyard of The Beverly Hillbillies (before they strike oil!). I really do hate to judge and put people down, but it’s basically the same people you see at Hometown Buffet and Wal-​Mart. You know the ones. The ones in wheelchairs who ARE’NT disabled. Mesh shirts. Matching pink cowboy hats and boots. No teeth. Etc.
The vendor booths consists of swap meet jewelry, purses made from leftover swatches found in the alley, knives, clay mugs that look like props from «Pineapple Express», eyeglass cleaners, puppets that look like they were made by prisoners in Tijuana and god-​awful «art» that looks like something you’d see in a Motel 6 right before you blow your brains out.
Next, the food. My friend ordered the red beans and rice ($ 6) and I got the jambalaya ($ 8) and we both got the sweet tea ($ 5). Total $ 24. The gal at the register plops down 2 tiny styrofoam containers, the size of one of those small KFC sides that hold coleslaw and mash potatoes. I thought maybe one was the rice and the other beans. And my jambalaya would come out later. Nope. One was the rice & beans and the other container was my jambalaya. I was too stunned to flip out. I couldn’t believe this crap. And the sweet tea was not worth $ 5. You’re better off getting McDonald’s 44 oz sweet tea for $ 1!
It turned me off to any other food there. I didn’t even want to chance it. I was all out of bullets to bite. My friend did get a funnel cake for $ 8. But it was just your typical County Fair funnel cake.
We did sit in at the cooking demo tent. It was supposed to start at 1pm, but didn’t get started until well after 1:30pm. The chef cooked alligator gumbo. It tasted like fish to me. The best part of this was being able to sit in a shaded tent and rest.
Now the music. I can’t speak for all the music since I was only there on Sat. But I just heard a lot of basic fiddle music that I would hear at a free festival, like Balboa Park’s Earth Day Fair, Little Italy Art Walk, any North or South Park street fair, any Farmer’s Market, a talented homeless guy on the sidewalk in Downtown. You name it. What I’m saying is, I didn’t hear anything that was worth $ 27 (much less $ 35).
We watched the Bön Temps Social Club dance lessons for a while. But after 30 mins of it we had to leave. It was the same exact steps over and over and over. Kinda got sick in the belly with the repetition.
So, while I can now say that I got to experience this… I can also now safely say «never again!»

DO NOT, I mean DO NOT come here. It’s such a ripoff. $ 30 per person, $ 14 parking. It’s a swap meet, food is not good at all. If crawfish is what you looking for go somewhere else. This place suppost to be a family event, but I have no idea how can a family afford to come here. I though this event was free entrance. Better off going to the swap meet. Del Mar fair is not that expansive to get in. We came here because we saw it on the new, but on the news they don’t even mention the entry price for a reason. How can the city allowed such a ripoff. I wish I could get my money back. We literally stay only for 30 min. Who put this event together really needs to rethink it what their doing. I don’t think New Orleans charges $ 30 per person to enjoy their event.

Hey it’s Gator by the Bay for Mother’s Day! Do you hate your mother? Bring her HERE.
I would rate this a minus-​5 stars if I could. It is the bottom of bottom-​dwelling sham festivals. It’s a swap-​meet of suck. A rajin’ cajun ripoff. It’s like the second-​hand circus that comes to town with crippled animals and leaky tents. It is the Kardashian of festivals and the roller dog of cuisine. And the sad part is, people will go here and pay the horrendous $ 35 ticket because checking out festival reviews on Unilocal just isn’t very high on to-​do lists (nor should it be, really). But I sure wish I had!
We arrived at 5 p.m. Saturday, and were shocked to be charged the full $ 35 fare even though the place closed at 8 p.m. We should have made other plans right then. But I heard the food was good. What an epic failure of a decision that was.
Navigating this place is like crawling through a tire fire, if by «tire» you mean people and «fire» you mean obliviousness. Weed out the mouth-​breathers and stretch pants that $ 35 ticket did NOT! Between the ragged clientele and the inexcusable, ear-​splitting volume of some of the bands, the discomfort level ballooned quicker than a White House scandal.
The food? I ordered a «catfish dinner» which was served in a tiny french fry tray with a few chunks of fried catfish on top for $ 10. What a JOKE. The fries tasted like the odor of a porta potty. I returned them and got refunded, and I told the lady (she seemed like she had some control over the operation) she should be ashamed for not even tasting the fries following my complaint. I’m also writing a letter to the Better Business Bureau, because that same stand served my wife «jambalaya» which arrived as a small cup of rice. RUFKM?
There is absolutely nothing noteworthy from the vendors. It’s all the same crap you can find at Old Town or any other common spots in SD. But there is valuable breathing room here, because most of the patrons were sandwiched in lines at the food section.
The amount of fury with which I discourage you from even driving by this place cannot be understated. I wouldn’t even by tickets here to give to people I hate.

This is a fun event for music fans of all ages. This is set up to be family friendly with room for kids to run and dance. There are several dance floors/​stages with Zydeco, rockabilly, country, blues, soul, and bluegrass. Lots of good food, beer, and wine. Downfall, not many beer choices.
Friday night, only half the festival is open, but it is still a great time. Saturday can be a long day if the sun is hot, but you can bring in a beach umbrella. To see all the great bands, you need to come out all three days.