Events

BUKU Music + Art Project appeals to all of the senses. Big names like Lana Del Rey and Louis the Child may be the hook to get you through the gates, but take a look around you to get a real feel for the event. What to appreciate:

Known as Louisiana’s best free music and food festival, the French Quarter Festival will draw thousands of people to the city’s oldest neighborhood April 11-14.

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA hits the Saenger Theatre stage Friday, April 12, through Sunday, April 14, as part of the Hancock Whitney Broadway in New Orleans series.

The Historic New Orleans Collection’s Caillot Circle – a membership community for young professionals between the ages of 21 and 45 – welcomed the Carnival with a festive bash on Jan. 6.

2019 marks the 60th anniversary of Mardi Gras’ anthem – Al Johnson’s “Carnival Time.” He recorded the song in December 1959 at Cosimo Matassa’s studio. It was released in time for Mardi Gras 1960.

Experience the coolest event of the season at NOLA ChristmasFest Dec. 20 through New Year’s Eve at the New Orleans Convention Center. When the weather outside is frightful, it’s always delightful inside the family-friendly indoor holiday celebration.

New Orleans has been referred to as “the most haunted city in America.” With its colorful history and unique traditions, it’s no surprise it has appealed to many paranormal investigations, including features on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coalition working to protect people, wildlife and jobs by reconnecting the river and its wetlands, is presenting an innovative 360-video at the 29^th New Orleans Film Festival (Oct. 12-25).

Ah, beignets. Is there anything better than the delicious smell of powdered sugary goodness?

A recent study from LendingTree named New Orleans the No. 3 city for young entrepreneurs. Surprised? Don’t be. There are a number of local organizations dedicated to nourishing young professionals with education and experience.

What better place to celebrate New Orleans’ music, food and culture – and its 300th birthday – than one of its oldest neighborhoods? The Treme Fall Festival is Oct. 6 and 7 at St. Augustine Church.

Family Day was proclaimed by the City of New Orleans on Sept. 27, 1981, and has been celebrated by parishes in the Archdiocese of New Orleans every fourth Sunday of September since then. The focus of Family Day is to support families in their efforts toward unity and joy in their homes and together with other families in their parishes.

In honor of passing the halfway mark to Mardi Gras, we’d love to give a shout out to our amazing team at Visit New Orleans (VNO) – a branch of the New Orleans Steamboat Company.

The 60th annual Press Club Awards on July 21 at the Jung Hotel honored excellence in the journalism industry. WWL-TV Eyewitness News was honored with 35 awards, including top awards for best use of Facebook and Twitter and first place trophies in continuing coverage, editorial writing and videography.

Everyone’s favorite feline friends will get their own festival this year. CatFest 2018 will be coming to Covington this August, featuring funny cat videos from the New York Cat Film Festival as well as a celebrity appearance from Boo the Deaf Kitty.

With festivals in the Big Easy throughout the year, you don’t want to find yourself unprepared. Whether you’re tasting sweet beignets at City Park or slurping up some oysters at Woldenburg Park, WWLTV’s “Local Lens” segments feature Chip’s Tips to help you get the most out of your festival experience.

Anyone can guess that free booze will boost event attendance. But when THNOC sought to expand its young member level, called the Caillot Circle, we added another ingredient: irreverence.

The Swedish invasion gripped New Orleans on Feb. 7, 1851. But it wasn’t a pop star, or a rock ‘n’ roll band – it was opera singer Jenny Lind, whose arrival at the port was met with such mania that she initially retreated back into the ship as the enthusiastic crowd rushed to greet her.

As New Orleans turns 300 and WWL-TV celebrates its 60th anniversary, Channel 4 is marking both historic milestones by inviting people to share their memories of the city we love, to be included in a video time capsule.

What Louisiana staple is found in dishes both savory and sweet; complements vegetables, fish and meat; and is as plentiful in the market as it is on the street? It’s citrus, and it’s the theme of The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 2018 culinary symposium Saturday, June 9.

The year was 1968. The place was Notre Dame Seminary. Five seminarians brought together the sacred and the secular with Catholic folk-style liturgical music. They called themselves The Dameans.

The Tricentennial’s yearlong community service initiative, 300,000 for the Next 300, brings the NOLA community together through volunteerism. In partnership with United Way, Hands on NOLA and NetWork Volunteers, the 2018 NOLA Foundation has pledged to complete 300,000 service hours through 300 projects with help from citizens and tourists alike.

After a competitive application process, Hostelling International USA (HI USA) has selected nine New Orleans area residents for its Explore the World travel scholarship. This $2,000 scholarship is given to help fund an educational or service trip abroad.

Before New Orleans’ founding in 1718, Native Americans traversed an overland route, or portage, connecting the arteries of Bayou St. John and the Mississippi River.

The New Orleans Women and Children’s Shelter (NOWCS) will host its annual There’s No Place Like Home fundraiser on Thursday, May 17, to support its mission of breaking the cycle of homelessness in New Orleans. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, NOWCS has helped more than 2,000 homeless women and their children escape poverty and transition to sustainable, independent living.

This month, I will have an amazing experience — crewing on the tall ship Oosterschelde, traveling from Pensacola to commemorate New Orleans’ Tricentennial.

It’s that time of year again … Jazz Fest is right around the corner. And, if you are a first-time festgoer, the Chamber staff has your back.

For New Orleans’ 300th birthday, our city will celebrate the four-legged friends that call New Orleans home. Presented by NOLA City Bark and Gambit, the New Orleans Tricentennial Dog Parade will take place on Sunday, April 22.

Summer festival season is upon us. GiveNOLA Fest, a Gambel Gal favorite, falls on May 1 this year and will feature performances by the legendary Irma Thomas and Soul Rebels, as well as a Southwest Airlines ticket drawing you will not want to miss.

While New Orleans turns the big 3-0-0 this year, French Quarter Fest celebrates 35 years in the Big Easy. As an official Tricentennial event, the 2018 festival will offer attendees several ways to commemorate both anniversaries.