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New Orleans runs on a festival calendar, with more than 130 events a year, so there is a good chance one is happening whenever you land. The two biggest, Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, anchor the spring, while French Quarter Fest, Essence and Voodoo fill the rest of the year. Here are the New Orleans events and festivals worth planning a trip around, with dates and what to expect, plus the month-by-month climate in our weather by month guide.
New Orleans Events and Festivals: Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (Carnival Season)
Mardi Gras is not a single day but a season that begins January 6 on Twelfth Night and builds to Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday lands on February 9 in 2027 and March 1 in 2028. The biggest parades, including Endymion, Bacchus and Orpheus, roll in the final two weeks, with the krewe parades on St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street. It is free to watch from the curb; you pay only for grandstand seats (US$40 to US$75) if you want reserved viewing. For the full rundown of parade routes, see our best time to visit New Orleans guide.
New Orleans Events and Festivals: Spring Music
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Jazz Fest runs eight days across the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May at the Fair Grounds Race Course, about 10 minutes from downtown by shuttle. A single-day ticket is roughly US$90 to US$100, and the lineup spans jazz, blues, gospel, Cajun and major headliners across 12 stages. The food alone, from crawfish bread to cochon de lait po-boys, is a reason to go, and the same Fair Grounds neighborhood sits near the Mid-City area in our neighborhoods guide.
French Quarter Festival
French Quarter Festival takes over the riverfront and more than 20 stages over four days in mid-April and is free to attend. It is the largest free music festival in the South, with local acts only, and it pairs with the “world’s largest jazz brunch” of food booths from dozens of restaurants. Crowds run heavy, so go early in the day and use the Riverfront streetcar line to arrive; lodging for this weekend is covered in our where to stay article.
New Orleans Events and Festivals: Summer
Essence Festival of Culture
Essence Festival of Culture fills the Caesars Superdome and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center over the July 4 weekend, with three nights of headline concerts and daytime panels. Single-night tickets start around US$75. Hotels in the Central Business District sell out months ahead, so reserve as soon as you have dates.
Southern Decadence
Southern Decadence, billed as the largest LGBTQ event in the South, runs over Labor Day weekend in early September, centered on the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. The Sunday parade is the main event and is free to watch. Temperatures hover around 31°C (88°F), so pace yourself and drink water, and pack for the heat using our travel tips checklist.
New Orleans Events and Festivals: Fall and Winter
Voodoo Music and Arts Experience
Voodoo Music and Arts Experience lands on Halloween weekend in late October at City Park, with a mix of rock, hip-hop and electronic acts. Weekend passes typically run US$150 to US$250. It overlaps with Halloween, when the French Quarter costume scene on Bourbon and Frenchmen streets is an event of its own. Between shows, the nearby attractions in our things to do guide fill the downtime.
Reveillon Dinners and New Year’s Eve
The Reveillon dinner series runs through December, when restaurants across the city serve fixed multi-course Creole menus, often US$55 to US$95 per person. On December 31, Jackson Square hosts the fleur-de-lis drop at midnight, free to attend, and the Sugar Bowl kicks off in the Superdome on January 1. Book dinner tables by early November.
