Photo courtesy of Satchmo SummerFest on Facebook

Satchmo SummerFest started in 2001 as a tribute to Louis Armstrong, one of New Orleans’ most prominent native residents, on his 100th birthday (“Satchmo” was one of Armstrong’s several nicknames). Ever since the fest remains the August highlight and just the respite we need from the long weeks of summer.

The annual festival, traditionally held over the first weekend of August in the French Quarter (falling on Saturday, August 3, and Sunday, August 4, 2024, this year), is easy to navigate and get to. The fest will be spread on two stages at the New Orleans Jazz Museum (at the Old U.S. Mint).

While the 2024 music and vendor lineups are TBA, the always-stellar music lineup included in the past the Big 6 Brass Band, Treme Brass Band, Preservation Brass, Jeremy Davenport, Charmaine Neville, The Original Pinettes Brass Band, and more.

Among the festival’s traditional special events, the annual Jazz Mass will again be held at St. Augustine church (1210 Governor Nicholls St.) on Sunday, August 4, at 10 a.m. It’s a popular event, so arrive early if you plan to attend.

Immediately following mass, join the “Satchmo Salute” second line parade, which will make its way from the church to Armstrong Park before secondlining down to Esplanade Avenue and the festival’s grounds at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

For schedule, lineup and updates please check the event’s website or its Facebook page.

You may also want to know:

• Admission is free.
• There will be shaded picnic tables on the grounds for dining.
• Parking: For street parking, you may want to look along the stretch of the French Market and at the foot of Esplanade Avenue. There is also a 24/7 parking lot by the French Market along the river. Enter from St. Peter Street.
• Pops’ Playhouse for Kids at the Jazz Museum will have children’s activities.
• No coolers or ice chests, and no outside food or drink, please.

Festival details:

What: The annual Satchmo SummerFest

When: Saturday-Sunday, August 3-4, 2024

Where: New Orleans Jazz Museum (at the U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade Ave., French Quarter)

Admission: Free

Schedule and food vendors: https://satchmosummerfest.org/

Coming to New Orleans in August?

We’d love for you to stay with us! And if you do, consider booking a guided tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 to experience the hauntingly beautiful past of New Orleans.

For easy, informative sightseeing, we recommend the City Sightseeing New Orleans city tour on the open-top, double-decker bus. It runs every 30 minutes through the Garden District, French Quarter, and CBD. You can hop on and off anytime, and your kids won’t have to do all this walking.

Take advantage of The Brakeman Hotel specials, group rates, and best-rate guarantee for greater savings to spend on New Orleans’ famous cuisine and enjoy everything this magnificent city has to offer. Reserve your room today!

Summer in New Orleans is packed with celebrations of local food, music, and culture — going well into the fall. Here are our top recommendations for what’s happening this summer near you.

June

New Orleans Wine & Food Experience

Wednesday-Sunday, June 5-9, 2024

In its 32nd year in 2024, the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (NOWFE) is a smorgasbord of food and wine tastings, tours, master classes, and the annual champagne-soaked burlesque brunch. Each year, hundreds of wineries and restaurants participate, offering menus featuring local flavors and innovative new creations inspired by diverse cuisines. Top chefs from around the city create unique culinary experiences, so much so that the event regularly makes a few national “best of” festival lists. The organization behind this popular event is a nonprofit that donates 100% of its proceeds to beneficiaries ranging from food banks to culinary schools. You can see all the events and get tickets online.

New Orleans Pride

Friday-Sunday, June 7-9, 2024

Launched in 2011, New Orleans Pride is a weekend-long celebration taking place in the French Quarter to celebrate and honor LGBTQI+ communities and their allies in New Orleans and surrounding areas. It is the only official Pride Festival in New Orleans, the largest in Louisiana, and one of the fastest-growing Pride celebrations in the nation. Special events include the Pride Gala, the PrideFest block party at the Phoenix bar, and the annual parade. The parade rolls on Saturday, June 8, 2024, starting at 6 p.m. in the Marigny and rolling through the French Quarter.

French Market Creole Tomato Festival

Saturday-Sunday, June 8-9, 2024

Traditionally held on the second weekend of June, the annual French Market Creole Tomato Festival welcomes the arrival of Creole tomatoes that Louisiana loves to incorporate into many local recipes. The French Market location and the food offerings make this a popular festival among locals and visitors alike.

Celebrating its 38th year in 2024, the festival features live music at the market and in Dutch Alley, kids’ activities, and a second line. There are cooking demos in addition to an extensive menu of Creole tomatoes incorporated into gelato, crepes, crawfish pies — you name it. (Here’s the 2024 food vendor list). Of course, you can also get Creole tomatoes from the participating farm stands.

Kick off the Creole Tomato Festival with the Ripe & Ready second line featuring a Jazz Band, The Baby Dolls, and the Amelia Earhawts on Saturday, June 8, at 10:30 a.m. It’s open to all, and you’re encouraged to wear “your favorite tomato attire.” The second line will form at Oscar Dunn Park, 700 Decatur Street across from Jackson Square, and walk to the French Market festival location.

The festival is spread out between the tents and the stages located at the Farmers Market, the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint (this one is indoors), and Dutch Alley. The live music schedule never disappoints.

Restaurant Week New Orleans

Monday-Sunday, June 17-23, 2024

During this time, you can enjoy multi-course, special menus and dining deals in numerous participating restaurants, from upscale Creole eateries to neighborhood bistros. Keep up with this year’s list of participating restaurants and their menus, and don’t miss a chance to try a new spot or revisit your favorite.

New Orleans Juneteenth Festival

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Come to Congo Square in Armstrong Park to commemorate this remarkable date with this free festival, held from noon to 7 p.m.

July

Independence Day

Thursday, July 4, 2024

New Orleans celebrates July 4th like anywhere else in America but with a flavor all her own. There will be fireworks above the Mississippi River and much partying as usual. As part of the annual “Go 4th on the River” celebration the “Dueling Barges” will again put on a spectacular fireworks show set to patriotic music.

There are plenty of great spots to watch the display, but a French Quarter balcony is one of the most desired viewing spots in the city. You can grab excellent vantage points on the Riverfront, and in the Marigny and Bywater too. The Woldenberg Park on the shoreline of the Mississippi River is also an excellent spot to throw a picnic while you wait for the fireworks, as well as another waterfront park, Crescent Park. Coolers and chairs are welcome.

ESSENCE Festival of Culture

Thursday-Sunday, July 4-7, 2024

There’s a lot to love about the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, beyond the fact that it is the largest annual African American culture and music event in the world. It’s one of the finest gatherings of musicians in a city that is well-known for throwing together excellent gatherings of musicians.

Beyond the concerts held each night of the fest at the Superdome, its free daytime experiences at the Convention Center include motivational seminars, beauty and style presentations, celebrity interviews, cooking demonstrations with top chefs, and lots more.

Expect a stellar music lineup of major headliners and the best of the local talent, including a reunion of New Orleans rap powerhouse Cash Money Records’ “Millionaires,” curated by label co-founder Bryan “Birdman” Williams. This year, the festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

The traditional Sunday Gospel Celebration at the Convention Center will feature the greatest gospel hits, and ESSENCE After Dark, a series of late-night jam sessions, comedy shows, underground performances, live podcast recordings, and more, is returning once again to the Superdome.

Don’t wait! Get your tickets online. You can also download the festival’s app. And please remember that all events held at the Convention Center during the day are free and open to all (registration is required though for anyone over 18).

San Fermin in Nueva Orleans (Running of the Bulls)

Friday-Sunday, July 12-14, 2024

Plenty of people know that Encierro de Pamplona is a major event in the Spanish tourism calendar, but not as many folks realize New Orleans hosts its own bull run. Except here, the “bulls” are roller derby girls, dressed in the traditional colors of Spain’s bull run and wearing horned helmets, who whack the participants — dressed all in white with red scarves and handkerchiefs — with wiffle bats.

This year, the Saturday, July 13, 2024, run takes place at the new venue, Gallier Hall, starting at 6:30 a.m. The annual El Txupinazo party also takes place there, on Friday, July 12, 2024, from 6 to 9 p.m. This is a ticketed event and 18+ only.

Check out the schedule on the event’s website for the annual opening and closing parties happening that weekend. You can also get your tickets online.

Tales of the Cocktail 

Sunday-Friday, July 21-26, 2024

Some of the world’s most famous cocktails were invented in this city: the Sazerac, Brandy Milk Punch, and Ramos Gin Fizz, to name a few. Having a drink in New Orleans isn’t just fun — it’s also a celebration of our unique history.

Still, New Orleans can’t just let a cultural touchstone lay without holding a festival, and thus: Tales of the Cocktail, a celebration of mixed drinks in all of their vast diversity. Every year, the party draws in thousands of bar owners, distillers, mixologists, authors, tastemakers, and enthusiasts who are interested in networking, sharing knowledge, showing off their skills, learning, and, well, drinking.

This six-day event is filled with seminars, workshops,  tastings, book signings, bartender contests, networking, and much more. The Tales’ 2024 theme is “Inspire,” and the festival’s signature annual blowout, the “best of” Spirited Awards, will be held on Thursday, July 25, 2024, followed by the always-popular after-party.

During the festival Tales of the Cocktail hosts dozens of events. Please note that tickets for events are sold individually, so you can build your own itinerary. The prix fixe tasting menus and food-pairing dinners are especially popular, and the tours and cocktail-themed parties also tend to sell out quickly, so we highly recommend getting your tickets as early as you can.

August

COOLinary

Thursday, August 1 – Sunday, September 15, 2024

The premise of COOLinary is simple: Dozens of area restaurants offer prix fixe menus to customers at a discount. Sometimes, a significant discount — this is a New Orleans event that’s as popular with the locals as tourists, and many city residents take advantage of Coolinary to engage in a bit of gastronomic splurging.

Interested? Check out the COOLinary website and see what restaurants are participating (and for which meals; some spots, for example, only offer a COOLinary menu during lunch). You don’t have to do anything else but show up and get fed; usually, the Coolinary menu is included as a special insert or addition to the regular menu.

Museum Month

Thursday, August 1 – Saturday, August 31, 2024

If you’re in town this August, be sure to take advantage of the Museum Month deal. During the month of August, museum members have the opportunity to visit all participating institutions, FREE OF CHARGE, using their current membership throughout the month of August.

You must be a member of a local museum to take advantage of this deal. This is a great opportunity to explore on the budget. In the past, participating museums in (and near) the French Quarter include the Beauregard-Keyes House, Audubon Insectarium, Contemporary Arts Center, The National WWII Museum, Old Ursuline Convent Museum, New Orleans Jazz Museum, New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, and Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

Fidelity Bank White Linen Night

Saturday, August 3, 2024

Back in the days before air conditioning, New Orleanians kept cool and looked fresh in the face of August swelter by wearing light-colored linen clothing. Back in the days before White Linen Night, local art galleries felt the pinch of the August tourism slowdown.

In order to combat said slowdown, and to showcase local summer fashion, White Linen Night was created. Art galleries and restaurants on the 300-600 blocks of Julia Street in the Warehouse District throw their doors open for a night of wine, art perusing, dining, and more wine — plus modeling of, naturally, the latest in white linen fashion.

Satchmo SummerFest

Saturday-Sunday, August 3-4, 2024

An initiative from the folks at French Quarter Festivals, Satchmo Summer Fest is a celebration of the city’s most famous musical son (Louis Armstrong, nicknamed “Satchmo”) and New Orleans music in general. As New Orleans festivals go, this one is pretty beloved — it’s family-friendly, kicks off within the French Quarter with a popular parade, the lineup is truly local, and it’s free. More than almost any other festival we mention, this one feels like a New Orleans street party (again, for families), and it definitely should not be missed if you’re in town.

Red Dress Run

Saturday, August 10, 2024

Probably the last thing any sane human being wants to do in the midst of a New Orleans August is run, but then again, the folks involved with the New Orleans Hash House Harriers (NOH3) have always been a little crazy. The Red Dress Run is your chance to see a bunch of locals of all genders don red frocks and go careening through the city on a madcap 2-3 mile course.

Said route is kept secret until the day of the run, but racers always pass through the Quarter. Come out, wear crimson, have a beer (many of the runners will be joining in with you), and enjoy the show.

Dirty Linen Night

Saturday, August 10, 2024

The more rebellious sibling to White Linen Night, Dirty Linen is a similar gallery evening, but in this case, the galleries are located in the Quarter along 300-1100 blocks of Royal Street, and the vibe is a little more counterculture. Peruse food trucks, galleries, and bars, help yourself to the wine the gallery owners brought along with them, and enjoy an unbridled celebration of the creativity of the city.

Southern Decadence

Thursday, August 29 – Monday, September 2, 2024

New Orleans’ largest LGBTQI+  event is a citywide party that celebrates the huge impact the local gay and lesbian community has on the city at large. Almost a week’s worth of partying will kick off within the Quarter, spreading across New Orleans as more and more guests swoop into town for several days of… well, as the title says, decadence.

More suggestions on what to see, eat, and do this summer

For more inspiration and information, check out our guides!

Activities

Things to Do in New Orleans: Year at a Glance
Exploring the French Quarter and Nearby With Kids

Attractions:

Guest Guide to The Brakeman Hotel Tremé New Orleans
Top Attractions Near The Brakeman Hotel
Must-See Museums Near The Brakeman Hotel
Exploring St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

Dining

Must-Try Dishes Near The Brakeman Hotel
Late-Night Dining Near The Brakeman Hotel

Entertainment

Where to Hear Live Music Near The Brakeman Hotel
Best Bars Near The Brakeman Hotel

Coming to New Orleans this summer?

Take advantage of The Brakeman Hotel specials, group rates, and best-rate guarantee for greater savings to spend on New Orleans’ famous cuisine and enjoy everything this magnificent city has to offer. Reserve your room today!

Happy summer!

Photo courtesy of Satchmo SummerFest on Facebook

Despite the soaring temps, New Orleans’ summer party schedule is packed with excellent festivals and other fun events. So, if you plan to visit anytime this summer, here’s a slew of festivals to choose from. Officially summer 2024 is defined as June 20 – September 22, 2024, but we included some events that fall outside these dates, just because we think you should know about them!

Kick off the summer fest season with the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (NOWFE), held on Wednesday through Sunday, June 5-9, 2024. In its 32nd year in 2024, NOWFE is a smorgasbord of food and wine tastings, tours, master classes, and the annual champagne-soaked burlesque brunch. Each year, hundreds of wineries and restaurants participate, offering menus featuring local flavors and innovative new creations inspired by diverse cuisines.

Top chefs from around the city create unique culinary experiences, so much so that the event regularly makes a few national “best of” festival lists. The organization behind this popular event is a nonprofit that donates 100% of its proceeds to beneficiaries ranging from food banks to culinary schools. You can see all the events and get tickets online.

Launched in 2011, New Orleans Pride (Friday-Sunday, June 7-9, 2024) is a celebration taking place in the French Quarter to celebrate and honor LGBTQI+ communities and their allies in New Orleans and surrounding areas. It is the only official Pride Festival in New Orleans, the largest in Louisiana, and one of the fastest-growing Pride celebrations in the nation.

Special events include the Pride Gala, the PrideFest block party at the Phoenix bar, and the annual parade. The parade is held on Saturday, June 8, 2024, starting at 6 p.m. in the Marigny and rolling through the French Quarter.

Up next, is the French Market Creole Tomato Festival which honors the arrival of the beloved Creole tomato. Celebrating its 38th anniversary in 2024, the free festival will again feature live music stages, cooking demos, kid’s activities, farm stands, food vendors, and more. The 2024 dates are Saturday-Sunday, June 8-9.

Restaurant Week New Orleans, held on Monday through Sunday, June 17-23, 2024, features multi-course, special menus and dining deals in numerous participating restaurants, from upscale Creole eateries to neighborhood bistros. Keep up with this year’s list of participating restaurants and their menus, and don’t miss a chance to try a new spot or revisit your favorite.

The last of June festivals, the New Orleans Juneteenth Festival is happening on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. Come to Congo Square in Armstrong Park to commemorate this remarkable date with this free festival, held from noon to 7 p.m.

The annual Independence Day weekend is shaping up to be spectacular as usual, filled with special events, fireworks, and — this being New Orleans — great food and music. Kick off the festivities with Go 4th on the River celebration, a free Dueling Barges fireworks show over the Mississippi River at the Riverfront.

Gear up for the best in R&B, hip-hop, jazz, and blues with the ESSENCE Festival of Culture (Thursday-Sunday, July 4-7, 2024), held at the Caesars Superdome and the Convention Center. Beyond the concerts held each night of the fest at the Superdome, the free daytime activities at the Convention Center include motivational seminars, beauty and style presentations, celebrity interviews, cooking demos, and lots more.

Running of the Bulls brings Encierro to New Orleans on Friday-Sunday, July 12-14, 2024, except the bulls are the Big Easy Rollergirls. San Fermin in Nueva Orleans pays annual homage to the world-famous Encierro of Pamplona, Spain, running through the streets of New Orleans starting at Gallier Hall on Saturday, July 13. The annual opening and closing parties happening that weekend are also great fun (check out the schedule on the event’s website).

A city renowned for its world-famous partying, New Orleans knows how to have a good time, and wants you to grab some friends and join in. After all, some of the world’s most famous cocktails were invented in this city, and New Orleans loves to celebrate its drinking culture.

If you and your friends are interested in cocktails and drink-mixing, you may want to check out Tales of the Cocktail (Sunday-Friday, July 21-26, 2024), a six-day festival packed with tastings, seminars, and special events that are all centered around exchanging ideas and techniques in the cocktail world. This lively festival is perfect for passionate mixologists, professionals and enthusiasts alike. The festival’s signature annual blowout is the “best of” Spirited Awards, followed by the always-popular after-party.

Satchmo SummerFest (Saturday and Sunday, August 3-4, 2024) started as a tribute to Louis Armstrong over a decade ago, on his 100th birthday. The two-day festival is held at the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint at the foot of Esplanade Avenue., and will have music all weekend on its outdoor, tented stages. Other events will include a Sunday morning Jazz Mass at the historic St. Augustine Church in Tremé, seminars and film screenings, kid’s activities, and a second-line parade.

The White Linen Night (Saturday, August 3, 2024) is a free block party and an open house for galleries on the 300-600 blocks of Julia Street in the Warehouse District, with several stages for live music and dozens of food and drink stands. Participants are invited to wear white (hence the name). About 20 galleries on and around Julia St. will be open to the public.

White Linen’s “cousin,” the Dirty Linen Night (Saturday, August 10, 2024), is similar in format, though looser in structure and spanning more territory. It actually wasn’t created to compete with the Warehouse District event but to promote the many galleries and shops of Royal Street. The multi-block party takes over the 300-1100 blocks of Royal Street and some cross streets and adjoining areas in the French Quarter, including Jackson Square and Dutch Alley.

You and your friends may also have to buy a silly (or glamorous) red dress for this next New Orleans summer festival. The Red Dress Run (Saturday, August 10, 2024) also doubles as a fundraiser, donating to a number of local charities. Both women and men are required to wear red dresses while partaking in a pub crawl-like run. The run traditionally starts at Crescent Park, though the route will not be publicized until the day of the run.

The always fabulous Southern Decadence festival (Thursday-Monday, August 29 – September 2, 2024) is traditionally held on Labor Day weekend. This massive four-day festival celebrates LGBTQI+ culture and attracts participants from all over the world. Just like every year, most activities will be centered in and around the French Quarter, with lots of block parties and dance parties at bars and clubs on Bourbon Street, plus two parades.

There’s no better time to try out an award-winning restaurant or revisit the old favorite than August, thanks to the annual COOLinary program. COOLinary was conceived as a promotion to lure diners to local restaurants in the slower summer months, during which restaurants all over the city offer discounted dining deals.

The deals follow the same format every year: Two-course lunch menus for $25 or less; two- or three-course dinner and brunch menus for $50 or less. Over a hundred restaurants typically participate. Please note that this year, COOLinary extends beyond August, until September 15, 2024.

Take advantage of The Brakeman Hotel specials, group rates, and best-rate guarantee for greater savings to spend on New Orleans’ famous cuisine and enjoy everything this magnificent city has to offer. Reserve your room today!

Photo by Zack Smith Photography. Courtesy of French Quarter Festivals, Inc.

French Quarter Fest is back, and it’s its 41st anniversary, no less, with a focus on celebrating  Louisiana’s Living Legends. For four days (Thursday, April 11 through Sunday, April 14, 2024), a big chunk of the French Quarter — also known as the Vieux Carré, French for the “old square” (or “old quarter”) — will be transformed into a series of festival stages, each showcasing a different brand of music either rooted in or heavily influenced by, the sounds of Louisiana. Here’s a quick look at what you need to know about French Quarter Fest 2024.

The Stages

Since 2023 welcomed more than 875,000 fans over four days, this year the festival organizers are providing more space with the addition of programming in Spanish Plaza. There are also two new stages this year, the DJ Stage and the Culinary Stage, bringing the total of stages to 22 with over 300 performances scheduled this year.

Woldenberg Riverfront Park

Most of the FQ Fest’s main stages are concentrated along the waterfront of the Mississippi River in the French Quarter. In 2019, the festival also added a stage, the Pan-American Life Insurance Group Stage, on the Riverfront’s Moonwalk, right across from Jackson Square.

The French Market & The U.S. Mint

The other side of Jackson Square is also a nexus of music stages and, importantly, food! The New Orleans Jazz Museum, located in the Old U.S. Mint building on the corner of Decatur Street and Esplanade Avenue (400 Esplanade Ave.), will host a number of acts and vendors as in previous years. It’s also a good spot for cooling off should the days get too hot. The French Market features two stages, the Traditional Jazz Stage and the Dutch Alley Stage.

Royal Street

Usually, Royal Street is an unbroken string of cute antique shops and art galleries. During French Quarter Fest, expect that scene to get livened up by several smaller music stages.

Decatur Street

Notable for the Bienville Statue, Decatur Street is where you’ll find the House of Blue Voodoo Garden Stage.

Jackson Square

The “town square” of New Orleans, as it were, Jackson Square is a geographic lynchpin for the entirety of the French Quarter, so expect it to be filled with food vendor booths for the duration of the fest, and as vibrant as ever. It will also be the location of many of the French Quarter Festival’s special events, including the opening-day second line.

Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street has a reputation as a hard-partying locus of bachelor parties and wild weekend trippers, but during French Quarter Fest it showcases a few smaller musical stages, including the lovely Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta.

Music Lineup

The who-is-who of the local music scene is returning or joining this year. Expect beyond excellence when it comes to the French Quarter Fest music lineup. That includes Irma Thomas, Ivan Neville, Little Freddie King, George Porter Jr., Charmaine Neville, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Rockin’ Dopsie Jr., Kermit Ruffins, The Soul Rebels, Big Freedia, and many more who will be performing on stages stretching from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue. Check out the full music schedule on the fest’s website.

Food Vendors

As in the previous year, expect a mouthwatering melting pot of traditional New Orleans dishes such as fried shrimp or catfish, stuffed crabs, locally brewed beers, meat pies, crawfish macaroni and cheese, and hot sausage po-boys. Beyond that, there will be plenty of global flavors.

Our favorite vendors that are returning include Jacques-Imo’s Cafe, Tujague’s Restaurant, Plum Street Snoballs, 14 Parishes Jamaican Restaurant, Pat O-Brien’s, Miss Linda the Yakamein Lady, Desire Oyster Bar, Couvant, Morrow’s, Loretta’s Authentic Pralines, Addis NOLA, Cochon King BBQ, and many more.

This year, Bao Mi and Paco’s Tacos will have their culinary debut at the festival along with Miss River and Fritai Nola.

Also, if you see an orange “Eat Fit” sticker next to the food item, it means that it’s part of a special menu that focuses on lighter fare like lean proteins, vegetables, plant-based fats, and whole grains, with no white carbs and minimal added sugar. Fourteen vendors are participating in this program this year. Examples include crab, artichoke and citrus salad from Jacques-Imo’s Cafe, and sugar-free raspberry and sugar-free pink lemonade from Plum Street Snoballs.

Special Events

Every year, the festival features special events. Here are the 2024 highlights.

The French Quarter Festival Kickoff Parade and Opening Day Ceremony

The annual parade is held this year on Thursday, April 11, at 10 a.m. The parade departs from the 200 block of Bourbon Street down to St. Ann Street, where it turns and makes its way to Jackson Square for the Annual Opening Day Ceremony.

Dance Classes

The French Market Traditional Jazz Stage and the Chevron Cajun-Zydeco Showcase will feature dancing and classes in traditional Jazz, 1920s Charleston, swing, Cajun jitterbug, and zydeco. Classes are taught by professional dancers and are free and open to the public. Check out the lesson schedule on the festival’s website.

Children’s STEM Zone

On Saturday and Sunday, families are invited to take a journey of discovery at the STEM Exscavaganza: A Louisiana Scavenger Hunt.

French Quarter Fest After Dark

The festival offers nighttime programming at various local venues from 9 p.m. till midnight to keep the good times rolling after the last festival stage closes at 8 p.m.

… And more

On top of all this, the festival features installations, a choir concert at St. Louis Cathedral, the 2024 French Quarter Fest Official Poster signing, interviews, and more.

Getting Around

Getting around the Fest should be fairly easy if you’re walking or biking. Parking will be limited, so arrive early and try these lots: French Market, 500 Decatur Street, 300 North Peters Street, 211 Conti Street, The Garage at Canal Place, plus street parking within walking distance.

We do suggest that instead of driving, you use RTA buses, streetcars, rideshare services bikes, cabs, or the ferry to get to the festival. In addition to increased traffic, some streets will be closed for the duration of the festival beginning at approximately noon until 8:30 p.m. (Those who live in the area will need to have access passes from the NOPD Eighth District Station.) The streets that will be closing are Iberville, N. Rampart, Dumaine, and Decatur.

A Few Facts About French Quarter Fest and What’s New in 2024

Here are a few facts about the fest and what to expect this year:

• The Fest celebrates local music and represents every genre from traditional and contemporary jazz to R&B, New Orleans funk, brass bands, folk, gospel, Latin, Zydeco, classical, cabaret, and international. It’s a medley, and a great way to sample the local music scene.
• It debuted in 1984 as a way to bring residents back to the Quarter following the World’s Fair and extensive sidewalk repairs in the French Quarter.
• The Fest employs more than 1,800 local musicians, with over 60 local restaurants participating as culinary vendors.
• The food and beverage vendors are set up in several locations throughout the French Quarter: Jackson Square, the Jazz Museum at the Mint, JAX Brewery, and Woldenberg Riverfront Park.
• You can buy the official 2024 poster at one of the four merch booths at the festival, and then online starting on April 22.
• To streamline your music experience and navigation, you can download an app on the fest’s website (either for IOS or Android).
• The live-music hours every day of the festival are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• No coolers and ice chests, please. Help keep the festival free by purchasing food and beverages at the festival.
• And yes, the fest is free unless you opt to buy a pass for a VIP experience.

Planning a Visit to New Orleans?

We’d love for you to stay with us! And if you do, consider booking a guided tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 to experience the hauntingly beautiful past of New Orleans.

For easy, informative sightseeing, we recommend the City Sightseeing New Orleans city tour on the open-top, double-decker bus. It runs every 30 minutes through the Garden District, French Quarter, and CBD. You can hop on and off anytime, and your kids won’t have to do all this walking.

Take advantage of The Brakeman Hotel specials, group rates, and best-rate guarantee for greater savings to spend on New Orleans’ famous cuisine and enjoy everything this magnificent city has to offer. Reserve your room today!