Hogs for the Cause firing up the pits for pediatric brain cancer

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Hogs for the Cause, the annual charity barbecue and music festival, will light up the pits and the UNO Lakefront Arena this weekend.

More than 90 teams will compete while raising financial support for families whose children are being treated for childhood brain cancer.

This year’s party kicks off a very busy spring festival season on Friday, April 1, and lasts through Saturday night. Gates open Friday at 3:30 PM and Saturday at 11:00 AM.

General admission tickets start at $50 for Friday, $60 for Saturday, and $99 for a two-day pass. Each ticket comes with a cash wristband and gives you access where you can access food from all 90 teams and over 20 bands on three stages.

The teams will sell food to raise money and compete for prizes in a range of categories.

On Friday, teams will compete in bacon, chicken wings, sauce and mayonnaise. On Saturdays, the categories are pork ribs, pork shoulder, whole pork and ‘porkpourri’.

To be crowned major champions on Saturday, a team must perform well in at least three of Saturday’s categories and must raise a minimum of $4,000.

Hogs will be promoting the largest live music lineup to date, with Galactic headlined Friday alongside special guests Luther Dickinson and Corey Glover. Saturday’s headliner is Shakey Graves. VIP tickets go for $219 ($449 for both days) and include free cocktails in the VIP tent and fancier “private” restrooms.

Co-founder Rene Louapre started the party in 2009 with childhood friend Becker Hall.

The festival attracts between 20,000 and 30,000 visitors every year.

Many of the teams will be partying Friday night and throwing tailgates to their tents that will go on into the early hours. The ticket sales of these musical events will contribute to the total of the fundraising. A $60 ticket takes you to The Boar’s Nest, where you can expect “purple booze,” ice slides, and music from Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Mannie Fresh, and Juvenile.

In 14 years, Hogs for the Cause has raised millions of dollars for more than 12,000 families. Last year they raised more than $2.8 million.

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