Plan Your Next New Orleans Adventure
Visiting New Orleans is like walking into a huge party—and everyone's invited to this one! Here, our city streets are filled with a strong celebratory New Orleans spirit that you can feel it in your bones. Truly a melting pot of enticing cultures, New Orleans' diversity is displayed through its variety of annual events. Whether you want to commemorate Mardi Gras with the masses or cheer on the Saints with fellow sports lovers, you're bound to have the time of your life when you embark on this area's adventures.
Mardi Gras
One surefire thing that comes to mind when thinking of New Orleans is Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras (or "Fat Tuesday") is tied to the Catholic calendar and occurs exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday each year. Long story short, come to NOLA's Mardi Gras celebration to partake in the pinnacle of American folk culture.
Where: French Quarter
BUKU Music + Art Project
Love listening to EDM, electronica, hip-hop, and indie live music? If so, you'll fit right in with the mob of millennials at this major NOLA festival. In this underground house party environment, you can listen to ultramodern music amid immersive art installations.
Where: Market Street Power Plant grounds
New Orleans Wine & Food Experience
The epitome of food and wine-centered experiences, this NOLA festival offers culinary extravagance like never before. Depending on the year's venue, you could be indulging in NOLA's distinguished dishes in cocktail attire or decked out in eccentric costumes.
Where: Contemporary Arts Center
French Quarter Fest
As the largest free musical event in New Orleans, you won't want to miss putting this festival on your calendar. Running throughout its namesake of the French Quarter, this event is set against the backdrop of NOLA'a well-preserved architectural treasures.
Where: French Quarter
NOLA Jazz Fest
A true New Orleans staple, this jazz festival brings in thousands of visitors annually to the NOLA fairgrounds. Spanning two weekends in late April and early May, this festival is chock-full of talented bands, delicious food vendors, and the city's warm spring sunshine.
Where: Fair Grounds Race Course
Independence Day
New Orleans celebrates Independence Day like everywhere else in America—just with a special NOLA spin. Here, you can watch fireworks over the Mississippi River from the extraordinary vantage point of a French Quarter balcony.
Where: New Orleans
Tremé Fall Festival
Experience a block party like never before in the oldest African American neighborhood in the United States. Centered around the oldest African American Catholic church in the country—St. Augustine Church—this festival is a combination of cultural praise, family fun, and music appreciation.
Where: Tremé Street
Bayou Classic
Every Thanksgiving weekend, the Tigers of Grambling State meet the Jaguars of Southern University for the annual Bayou Classic. A whole new take on hometown rivalry, this local tradition is where football meets a four-day Thanksgiving feast, accompanied by a parade from the Superdome to the French Market.
Where: Mercedez-Benz Superdome
NOLA ChristmasFest
As the only indoor holiday festival in the area, this annual event is the go-to destination for winter cheer. From jolly decorations and lights to gigantic inflatables and kid-friendly rides, this festival is the perfect place to spend time with your loved ones this holiday season.
Where: New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Southern Decadence
Looking to do something fun for Labor Day weekend? Come and attend the annual parties, parades, brunches, and events in celebration of the city’s LGBTQ+ community. There will be hundreds of events happening, you can pick and choose between seeing DJs from all around the world, attending drag brunches and performances, and many more.
Where: French Quarter
Essence Music Festival
Often referred to as "the party with a purpose", the Essence Festival is the largest African-American culture and music event in the United States. This festival promotes, celebrates, and explores health & wellness, spirituality, beauty & style, food, community & culture, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and much more within the African American community.
Where: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
TET FEST: Vietnamese New Year
While Vietnamese-American families all have their favorite home traditions for Tết, another big part of the holiday includes public celebrations that people take part in. Tết Fest features many vendors selling authentic Vietnamese cuisine as well as live performances, fireworks, traditional dances, and fun for the whole family.
Where: Queen Mary of Vietnam Church
New Orleans Saints Football
The New Orleans Saints always give fans something to cheer about. Residents gather for viewing parties in their houses and favorite bars and tailgaiting flourishes as an event in itself. Season tickets are available via platforms like Stubhub, much more reasonably priced than in other NFL cities. Brass bands roam and the food selection is lavish.
Where: Caesars Superdome (formerly the Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
This festival assembles top playwrights, authors, actors, and speakers for literary panels and to provide master classes with other published authors. There are theatrical performances of original works, readings, cocktail parties, culinary events, book signings, movie screenings, literary walking tours, many free events, and of course the popular “Stella!” shouting contest.
Where: French Quarter
New Orleans Pride
New Orleans Pride takes place in the French Quarter and celebrates the LGBTQ+ community in the Crescent City and beyond. It includes parties throughout the French Quarter, special events at bars on Bourbon Street, burlesque shows, dining events, and more. What's more, many events including parades and block parties, are completely free and open to the public.
Where: The Marigny and the French Quarter
Find Home in The Big Easy
While New Orleans is dripping with exciting events, it is also the ideal locale to settle down in and call home. If you're thinking of buying a home or relocating to one of New Orleans' stellar communities, then it's time to contact the Nugent-Freeland Team! We want to help you explore the area, discover the city's diverse events, and find the perfect home for your unique needs. Ready to take your next steps? Feel free to reach out—we're always here to help!