New Orleans Entertainment

New Orleans offers a wide choice of entertainment options, with a thriving music scene. Festivals are never far off, as the city’s inhabitants dance in the street, even after funerals! For those interested in the performing arts, there are several theatres as well as the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Nightlife

After dark, New Orleans lights up with a magic all of its own. No amount of post-Katrina hardship could put a halt to the Big Easy’s famous nightlife, a mix of music, colour, flavour, fun, excitement and romance, with some Voodoo thrown in for good measure. Bourbon Street, with its neon and noise, is of course the most famous bar strip. This is New Orleans’ Amsterdam, a place dominated by drinks and drinkers, where the cocktail is king and bars stand side-by-side, block after block. Weekdays are hardly distinguishable from weekends.

New Orleans’ nightlife extends from here to moonlit streets perfect for strolling, particularly along the banks of the Mississippi. And when you are almost ready to calls it a night, the 24-hour Café du Monde awaits with coffee and beignets. The city’s nightlife is slowly getting back to pre-Katrina intensity, although service may be slower because of staffing shortages.

Theatre and music

There is a variety of options for theatre fans: contemporary drama at Southern Repertory Theater on the third floor of Canal Place; Saengar Theater on Rampart Street at Canal, host to national touring companies and A-list comedians; and the relaxed Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre in the French quarter, where old-school anecdotes are performed by local acting veterans. Ballet and opera fans can see local and touring ensembles at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in Louis Armstrong Park, while the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra performs at the Orpheum Theater on University place, just off Canal Street.

Music runs in the veins of New Orleans and is played all night long. In the French quarter, the live music is, sadly, mainly rock cover bands, although the House of Blues has a steady stream of big-name talent, with local musicians in its back-up room, the Parish. The cool music scene that most visitors expect to find on Bourbon Street is in fact a couple of blocks outside of the quarter, on Frenchmen Street in the Marigny, where Snug Harbor has groovy jazz and Café Brasil has Latin-salsa.

Heading Uptown, visitors will find two of the city’s best music clubs: Tipitina’s and the Maple Leaf. Tip’s is a legend in the music world and puts on mainly New Orleans funk and Delta blues, while the Maple Leaf bar is where the city’s top brass, funk, R&B and zydeco bands play into the small hours.

Festivals

New Orleans’ calendar is crammed with an incredible selection of events and festivals to suit all tastes including the world-famous Mardi Gras Parade, with related balls, parties and the Jazz Fest.

• Mardi Gras Season is maybe the world’s biggest party. The season kicks off with the Feast of Epiphany and goes on with several street parties, parades and balls that become ever more frequent in the two weeks before the main day. Mardi Gras overlaps with Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent. The city of New Orleans is complete mayhem and madness the week before Mardi Gras Day (January to March).
• Zulu Festival is part of Mardi Gras celebrations and offers an amazing variety of live entertainment and tasty food (February).
• Tennessee Williams Festival celebrates the life of novelist Tennessee Williams through lectures, theatrical performances and walking tours (March).
• Jazz Fest is New Orleans’ leading jazz celebration, also featuring other musical styles and cultures of Louisiana such as blues, Cajun, zydeco, Afro-Caribbean and swamp pop as well as great food (late April to early May).
• French Market Creole Tomato Festival celebrates the Creole tomato through cooking demonstrations, food-tasting, a parade and lots of music (June).
• Swamp Pop Music Festival features talented local and nationally-known musicians, a beauty pageant, car show and a Jambalaya cooking competition (July).
• Satchmo Summerfest celebrates the life of famous local jazz musician Louis Armstrong, with live music, seminars and lots of food (August).
• Art for Art’s Sake is one of the year’s biggest arts events, featuring a free gallery tour, Julia street party and the opening of various exhibitions (October).