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New Orleans
The Big Easy Goes All Out With its Annual Festivals
Each season delivers a fresh set of must-attend events
in the city by the bayou
By Grace Toby
“Laissez les bon temps rouler!” The Cajun French saying “Let the good times roll” is often used to describe the Big Easy. It’s a fitting motto for a city that knows how to have fun. NOLA is known for its rich culture, southern hospitality, Creole cuisine, live music and distinct architecture, and the yearly festivals are an excellent way to showcase its offerings.
FEBRUARY/MARCH
Mardi Gras (March 4, 2025)
Considered the grand marshal of the festival lineup, Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) kickstarts the yearly festivities. The holiday is tied to Easter and ends the day before Ash Wednesday. (Make note of this when planning your visit as the date changes yearly.) This holiday is steeped in history and tradition from the trio of traditional colours (purple, gold and green) to eating king cake (cinnamon-flavoured sweet pastry with a small trinket or figurine inside).
The two weeks leading up to Mardi Gras are carnival season, where the streets come alive with colourful parades and infectious revelry. You’ll find dozens of floats weaving through neighbourhoods each with its theme and krewe, so be sure to map out your route.
APRIL/MAY
French Quarter Festival (April 10–13, 2025)
In the heart of the city, within the historic French Quarter, this eponymous festival has beaten strong ever since it began four decades ago. Immerse yourself in this cultural celebration, rhythms pulsating as you take in the extraordinary Creole-style architecture in the city’s oldest neighbourhood. The four-day fest features a range of musical genres, from contemporary to traditional, jazz, R&B, funk and folk, gospel, classic, cabaret and Zydeco (indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles) on more than 20 stages. Bonus: It’s a free event.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 24–May 4, 2025)
With music baked into the city’s foundation like sugar-covered beignets, the opportunity to experience a live performance in the birthplace of jazz is around every corner. If you’re keen to catch a live act, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival consistently turns out a stellar lineup with local and international talent. This crowd-pleasing outdoor event (it spans two weekends from April to May) has grown to include multiple stages with thousands of visitors. Each location caters to a specific genre, from Afro-centric, gospel, brass, and blues to contemporary and traditional jazz. When you’re ready for a nosh, indulge in the local cuisine and try the crawfish Monica and mango freeze.
JUNE
French Market Creole Tomato Festival
You’ll feel like a local New Orleanian at this quaint and quirky (and free) festival. Nestled in the French Quarter, it celebrates the local bumper crop: Creole tomatoes. Sample dishes specific to southern Louisiana, like fried green tomatoes, gumbo, crawfish pie, and Creole tomato gelato.
JULY
Essence Festival of Culture
Celebrating 30 years this year, the Essence Festival of Culture has emerged as the largest African-American culture and music event in the US. It brings together big-name headliners (think Janet Jackson and Usher in 2024) over its multi-day run during the Fourth of July weekend.
SEPTEMBER
Southern Decadence
When Pride and Mardi Gras intersect, you’ll find Southern Decadence, Crescent City’s biggest LGBTQ+ event of the year. The jubilant festival party known as “Gay Mardi Gras” is held annually over Labour Day weekend. What started as a small costume party in the seventies has ballooned into a world-famous event, with street dance parties, drag shows and of course, parades.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
NOLAxNOLA
The newer crowd pleaser on the block is “Nola by Nola,” an 11-day music event. If you’re seeking a balanced experience with ideal temps, this early fall event offers hundreds of indoor and outdoor shows staged from iconic music halls to intimate jazz clubs.
Oak Street Po-boy Festival (October 27, 2024)
New York has pastrami on rye, Philly has hoagies, and NOLA has the iconic po’ boy. There’s no better place to sample the carb-rich sandwich that’s local slang for “poor boy” than at the Oak Street Po-boy Festival. The traditional recipe includes a variation of fried shrimp, oysters and roast beef stuffed between two pieces of French bread. A po-boy competition juried by celebrity judges brings out home cooks and trained chefs who put their spin on this classic.
Fun Fact
French Canadian explorers the Le Moyne brothers brought Mardi Gras to New Orleans in 1699.
