The Samantha Fish Cigar Box Guitar Festival - 1/15 -18/2020

The New Orleans Blues Society’s mission is to preserve the past, support the present and promote the future of area roots music, so in 2016 they celebrated with the inaugural festival dedicated to this homemade instrument. This first edition of the Samantha Fish Cigar Box Guitar Festival in 2020 promises to build on that foundation, and to provide unforgettable performances by legendary performers. Don’t miss it!

Carnival Season Begins on 1/6/2020!

Epiphany, on January 6, has been recognized as the start of the New Orleans Carnival season since at least 1900; locally, it is sometimes also known as Twelfth Night. Carnival season is a time for eating, drinking and partying before the 40 days of Lent, characterized by sacrifice and fasting. Carnival is filled with parades, balls, parties and other celebrations culminating in Mardi Gras, which is French for “Fat Tuesday”. Mardi Gras always occurs on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and Carnival ends at midnight on Fat Tuesday, as Lent begins.

Christmas Eve Bonfires on the Levee

The Great River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge can lay claim on one of the more unusual public December holiday lighting displays. It’s here on the earthen levees containing the Mississippi River that local Christmas lights aren’t colored bulbs, but instead dozens of 20-feet-high flaming pyramids of burning logs.

The Christmas bonfires, as locals call them, are mostly teepee-shaped, but some can be odd shapes paying tribute to the river’s heritage—shapes ranging from miniature plantation homes to tiny replica paddlewheel steamships. Bonfires are built by families, friends and co-workers who visit, cook and mingle between the fires. It’s a local celebration with an environment akin to football tailgating, and the practice has continued for generations. 

Luna Fête - 12/12-15/2019

LUNA (Light Up NOLA Arts) Fête is a visionary initiative by the Arts Council New Orleans. We utilize local iconic architecture and contemporary light, sound installation, motion graphics, and video-mapping practices to create a series of artistic large-scale outdoor light installations across the city each December. By stimulating connectivity across sectors, we shine a light on New Orleans and demonstrate how Art Transforms Communities. This festival is a cultural exchange that fosters both international economic stimulus and increased awareness of and opportunities for the local arts community. LUNA Fête illuminates the intersection of art, architecture, technology, film, community engagement, and tourism. The project creates the next generation of family-friendly outdoor spectacle that is consistent with the New Orleans community and street-based celebration. It inspires awe and connects people to a new era of contemporary art.

Congo Square Rhythms Festival - 11/16 & 17/2019

Mardi Gras Indians, African dance, brass bands, luscious jazz, soul-funk, Latin jazz and West African highlife – all these are in store for music fans at the 12th annual Congo Square Rhythms Festival, presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation November 16-17 in Armstrong Park. Celebrating the New Orleans traditions that spring from the African diaspora, the Congo Square Rhythms Festival brings a joyful noise to the spot that those in the know consider the birthplace of American music.

"Fete Des Fromages" NOLA Cheese Fest - 11/16/2019

Taste more than 150 cheeses and meet cheesemakers from around the world at the NOLA Cheese Fest or "Fete Des Fromages" held on the grounds of the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Enjoy unlimited cheese samples and purchase wine, beer, and cocktails of your choice. Hang out on the lawn and listen to local bands, or watch chefs battle it out on stage in a race to break down giant wheels of cheese.