Assemble a few tents, a stage and some food booths and festival-loving New Orleanians know what to do. Eat, drink, dance it off, repeat.

The Old US Mint at the foot of Esplanade Avenue is a familiar enough venue for local festival.

But this weekend there’s something different at the Mint, and elsewhere around town. It’s a seafood festival that breaks away from the usual formula and promises a taste of something different too.

It’s part of Slow Fish, a conference related to the international food advocacy group Slow Food. The conference has previously been held in Genoa, Italy. But for the first time Slow Fish has shifted to New Orleans.

About 150 delegates are expected. Many of them are chefs and fishermen, along with scientists and researchers and advocates. They’ll be addressing issues for seafood at the intersection of culture, commerce and ecology.

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