New Orleans has festivals for EVERYTHING. Music, king cake, oysters, tacos, crawfish, fried chicken, poboys, and beignets are just a few. There’s a festival where you get chased by women on roller blades trying to hit you with a whiffle ball bat lmao. There’s the red dress run, which is pretty self explanatory and a good reason to drink on a Saturday morning. There’s festivals for every month. The festivals listed below typically occur at the same time every year but because of the Pandemic, the festival schedule for the foreseeable future is uncertain. Be sure to click on the links below which will direct you to the festival’s website so you can stay up to date on schedules.
January
King Cake Festival (Free Admission)
Champions Square, LaSalle Street, New Orleans
February
Marley Gras Jerk Chicken Festival ($)
Central City BBQ, 1201 S. Rampart St., New Orleans
March
Top Taco Fest ($)
Woldenberg Park, 1 Canal St., New Orleans
Bourbon Festival ($)
Hilton Riverside, 2 Poydras St., New Orleans
Wednesday at the Square (Free Admission) *Broke-Traveler Favorite
Lafayette Square Park, S Maestri Pl, New Orleans, LA 70130
Hogs for the Cause ($)
University of New Orleans Campus, 6801 Franklin Ave., New Orleans
April
Freret Street Festival (Free Admission)
Freret Street from Napoleon to Valmont streets, New Orleans
French Quarter Festival (Free Admission) *Broke-Traveler Favorite
Various spots throughout the French Quarter, including Woldenberg Park, Jackson Square, and New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Mint
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival ($)
Fair Grounds Race Course, 1751 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans
NOLA Crawfish Festival ($)
Central City BBQ, 1201 S. Rampart St., New Orleans
May
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival ($)
Fair Grounds Race Course, 1751 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans
Crawfish Mambo ($)
University of New Orleans Campus, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans
Bayou Boogaloo (Free) *Broke-Traveler Favorite
Orleans Avenue at Bayou St. John, New Orleans
New Orleans Greek Festival ($)
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1200 Robert E. Lee Blvd., New Orleans
June
New Orleans Oyster Festival (Free Admission)
Woldenberg Park, 1 Canal St., New Orleans
French Market Creole Tomato Festival (Free Admission)
French Market, St. Peters to Baracks Streets
NOLA Caribbean Fest ($)
Central City Barbecue, 1201 S. Rampart St., New Orleans
July
Essence Festival (Free & Ticketed Events)
Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center and Mercedes-Benz Superdome
San Fermin In Nueva Orleans (Running with the Bulls) ($) *Broke-Traveler Favorite
The Sugar Mill, 1021 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70130
Tales of the Cocktail ($)
Various locations
August
Satchmo SummerFest ($)
New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Mint, 400 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans
White Linen Night (Free Admission)
Various locations in Warehouse District / CBD
Red Dress Run (Free Admission)
Beginning in Louis Armstrong Park and goes through the Marigny
Dirty Linen Night ($)
200-1000 Royal street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Southern Decadence Fest (Free Admission)
Various locations throughout the French Quarter
September
NOLA on Tap ($)
Festival Grounds, New Orleans City Park, 2 Friederich’s Ave.
National Fried Chicken Festival (Free Admission)
Woldenberg Park, 1 Canal St., New Orleans
October
Beignet Fest (Free Admission)
Festival Grounds at City Park, 2 Friederich’s Ave.
Deutsches Haus Oktoberfest ($) *Broke-Traveler Favorite
1700 Moss St., New Orleans
Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival (Free Admission)
Lafayette Square Park, 540 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans
Voodoo Music + Arts Festival ($)
New Orleans City Park, 1 Palm Drive
November
Treme Creole Gumbo Festival (Free Admission)
Armstrong Park, 701 N. Rampart St., New Orleans
Boudin, Bourbon and Beer *Broke-Traveler Favorite
Champions Square, LaSalle Street, New Orleans
Oak Street Po-Boy Festival *Broke-Traveler Favorite
December
