Photo by Chris Granger
New Orleans loves to throw a party, and this is especially true in the spring, when the weather is pretty much perfect, and there are dozens of festivals featuring the best of live, local music, and honoring every type of food we love. There’s something to do every weekend starting in March and through June (the official spring dates are March 20 through June 20, but we’re including some events outside of these dates), and many events are free. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss this spring. And, buckle up — it’s a lot.
MARCH
New Orleans Entrepreneur Week
Monday-Saturday, March 9-14, 2026
The New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) kicks off six days of speeches, speaker sessions, and networking events on Monday, March 9, 2026. According to the event organizers, one of the main events is the NOEW 2026 Summit at Loyola (Thursday-Friday, March 12–13), which “packs in two days of immersive workshops, hands-on sessions, and real founder stories designed to help you start, scale — and connect.” NOEW is now in its 15th year and has attracted thousands of attendees over the years. For this year’s keynote speakers and more info, check out the event’s website.
Wednesday at the Square
Wednesdays, March 11 – May 6, 2026
Unwind with a cold beverage on any given Wednesday at the Square, a free concert music series held in the spring in Lafayette Park (located one block off of Poydras Street, between St. Charles Avenue and Camp Street in the heart of the Central Business District) every Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. From March through May, these outdoor concerts feature a variety of jazz, rock, swamp pop, brass, Latin rhythms, and more.
Bring a chair or a blanket, or head to the front of the stage to partake in some dancing. You can bring your dog (leashed at all times), and there are vendor booths surrounding the park where you can buy food and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (no outside food or beverages, please).
The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane
Thursday-Sunday, March 12-15, 2026
The New Orleans Book Festival features both fiction and non-fiction and readings, panel discussions, symposia, and keynote speeches. It also provides an opportunity for outlets, authors, and readers to interact with each other.
Sunday, March 15, is Family Day, so bring your kids to the Tulane campus for some fun. Previous year’s notable authors and speakers on the impressive roster included Andy Borowitz, Richard Campanella, Maureen Dowd, and many more — so expect A-list greatness this year as well. The festival is free and open to the public.
Super Sunday
Sunday, March 15, 2026
The annual gathering of the Mardi Gras Indian tribes is perhaps the most open means of accessing this unique element of New Orleans backstreet culture. The tribes will be out in large numbers on Super Sunday, which usually falls on the third Sunday of March.
While the Mardi Gras Indians have their set routes and parade areas, no one event packs the tribes into one public space like Super Sunday. In this case, said public spaces are A.L. Davis Park, at the corner of Washington and LaSalle streets; and Bayou St. John in Mid-City, at the intersection of Orleans and Moss streets, on the bayou’s banks and the Orleans Street bridge. The Indian procession usually leaves the gathering spot around 1 p.m.
We can’t stress this enough: Be respectful if you go. Take pictures at a distance, and don’t get in the way of marching Indians or their friends, family, and attached bands. Super Sunday has been overrun with spectators in the past years, so please do your part to enjoy this amazing cultural event responsibly.
Some background: The Mardi Gras Indians are the most vibrant, visible, and conversely mysterious expressions of African-American New Orleans culture. To distill them into an extremely simplistic sentence: Mardi Gras Indians are African-American New Orleanians who dress up (or in local lingo, ”mask”) as stylized Native Americans.
They take to the streets in fantastic costumes made of beads, feathers, and sequins that cost thousands of dollars, weigh hundreds of pounds, and require hundreds of days of painstaking labor; no element of costume creation is automated.
On Mardi Gras Day, Super Sunday, St. Joseph’s Day, and a select few other special occasions, the “chiefs” and their tribes parade through the city, chanting, shouting, and challenging each other to determine who is “the prettiest.”
There’s a ton more background on this fascinating subject at the Backstreet Cultural Museum in the historic Tremé neighborhood.
St. Patrick’s Day
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
It may come as a surprise to first-time visitors to New Orleans that this city has a deep Irish heritage, which traces back to its history as a Catholic port of call that was one of the main entry points for the USA. There’s an entire neighborhood in this town called the Irish Channel, plus a plethora of fantastic pubs that eschew cheesy emerald-green Irish stereotypes for rough-hewn hospitality (Finn McCool’s and Erin Rose come to mind, plus a selection of our favorite Irish pubs in the French Quarter).
As such, there are plenty of Irish in this town, and thus, the weekend closest to St. Patrick’s Day is an important one for the city of New Orleans. Numerous parades kick off, including the massive Irish Channel parade (on Saturday, March 14, 2026), where float riders pass cabbages to the screaming crowds.
The Downtown Irish Club Parade rolls on the actual St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, from the Bywater to the French Quarter, making several pit stops on its way to Bourbon Street.
How much you enjoy all of the above is linked to your tolerance for public drinking and green beer. St. Patrick’s Day in New Orleans is not quite as kid-friendly as the Carnival — you’ll still see families, but these parades are more aimed at adults.
New Orleans French Film Festival
Thursday-Tuesday, March 19-24, 2026
Per its organizers, the New Orleans French Film Festival “is one of the longest-running international language festivals in the U.S., celebrating contemporary and classic Francophone cinema.” In its 29th year in 2026, the festival runs various events, including the Prytania Theatre Uptown and other venues across the city. For this year’s lineup, schedule, and ticket info, please check the festival’s website.
Danny Barker Banjo & Guitar Festival
Friday-Sunday, March 20-29, 2026
The Danny Barker Banjo & Guitar Festival pays homage to New Orleanian musician, writer, instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, and lyricist Danny Barker. The five-day festival features a mixture of programming, including live music performances, panel discussions and workshops, special events and outings, second lines, and more. It will be held at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Tennessee Williams Literary Festival
Wednesday-Sunday, March 25-29, 2026
Writers have always been drawn to New Orleans. Few cities in America (or the world, really) can match this town for its atmosphere, sense of place, or penchant for fun and pathos (all good elements of a writing life).
The Tennessee Williams Literary Festival celebrates this city’s love affair with the written word, as well as writers’ love affair with New Orleans. Notable authors will be in attendance, hosting seminars, workshops, and lectures.
Plus, this being the Tennessee Williams Festival, there is, of course, a “Stella” shouting contest, which involves folks screaming out the iconic scene from A Streetcar Named Desire to appreciative crowds on Jackson Square. The program will also include a scholar conference, walking tours, masterclasses, theater, and more.
Note that on Friday-Sunday, March 27-29, 2026, the city will also host the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival, an alternative literary event that celebrates LGBTQ+ authors. The three-day festival will include panel discussions and a fair amount of networking opportunities between authors, editors, and publishers.
Congo Square Rhythms Festival
Saturday-Sunday, March 28-29, 2026
The musical heritage of New Orleans follows a line that can be traced all the way back to Africa, where the black diaspora begins. The music of that continent evolved here and in the Caribbean, influenced by Europe and indigenous music, into the forms and traditions that are the core of today’s New Orleans sound.
This vital legacy is celebrated in Armstrong Park, on the grounds of Congo Square, where local slaves were once permitted to practice the musical traditions of Africa and the Caribbean. Congo Square Rhythms Festival is a celebration of global and local music, and offers both amazing food and a fantastic lineup of music. The festival kickoff concert is typically held on Friday.
Presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the festival features Mardi Gras Indians, African dance, brass bands, soul-funk, as well as indigenous music of Honduras, and highlife from West Africa. The large art market and a Soul Food Court complete the experience.
Don’t miss one of the fest’s highlights, the Mardi Gras Indian “battle” — when the tribes gather in the center of the square, plus the festival’s largest to date assemblage of New Orleans-based African dance troupes (they typically perform on Sunday).
APRIL
Crescent City Classic
Saturday-Sunday, April 4, 2026
This annual 10K run is one of the largest athletic events in New Orleans, partly because the race is open to all, and as a result tends to attract a wide swathe of runners, from casual beginners to world-class runners (many don a costume to run, this being New Orleans). You do have to register to run; the cost is $70 ($50 if you run for a charity). The price increases after February 20, 2026.
Crescent City Classic is also notable for its route, which takes in some of the best cityscapes New Orleans has to offer. Runners take off from downtown in front of the Superdome, run through the French Quarter and the Tremé, then up Esplanade Avenue — one of the most beautiful streets in the nation — all the way to City Park.
If you’re around on the day of the run, you’ll likely see crowds lining the route, but try not to drive anywhere near the running path, as roads will be blocked off.
Easter Parades
Sunday, April 5, 2026
New Orleans is one of the most Catholic cities in the country, and it celebrates Easter in a big way, although that celebration isn’t always as traditional as one might guess. Long story short: When the 40-day Lent period of fasting ends, New Orleans says, “OK, that was enough self-denial” and throws three big parades. Why? Because New Orleans.
Starting at 11 a.m. on Easter Sunday with a hat contest and entertainment at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel Ballroom, the French Quarter Easter Parade winds its way from there and back starting at 1 p.m. via classic convertible cars and mule-drawn carriages.
The Chris Owens French Quarter Easter Parade is celebrating its 41st anniversary this year. Because it is now prohibited to parade on Bourbon Street (due to the terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve in 2024), the parade route changed last year, and the details for 2026 are still being ironed out.
The final parade of the day is the Gay Easter Parade, which rolls at 4:30 p.m. This one is also a family-friendly affair, and has been a long-standing tradition of the New Orleans LGBTQ+ community.
The paraders will march with floats and horse-drawn carriages, rolling by many of the French Quarter’s most storied gay businesses. Bring the kids to this one, as the Gay Easter Parade is famous for its generous throws and elaborate costuming.
Hogs for the Cause
Friday-Saturday, April 10-11, 2026
April continues with a popular event called Hogs for the Cause, a meat-centric annual fundraiser for pediatric brain cancer held at the UNO Lakefront Arena. Dozens of barbecue chefs compete in seven categories, including fan favorite, whole hog, ribs, and sauce. Check the event’s website for this year’s music lineup and tickets.
French Quarter Fest
Thursday-Sunday, April 16-19, 2026
Next up is the immensely popular and free French Quarter Fest. Held on the second or third weekend of April, it’s been around for almost 40 years, featuring the best the city has to offer in food and drinks, and several stages of non-stop live music. In the past years, you could dance in the streets of the French Quarter to Kermit Ruffins & the Barbeque Swingers, Galactic, Rebirth Brass Band, Irma Thomas, Lost Bayou Ramblers, and many more top-notch acts. Expect an excellent lineup this year as well.
Crawfest
Saturday-Sunday, April 18, 2026
One of the surest signs of spring in New Orleans is the presence of crawfish on menus and at boils across the city, and one of the surest signs that crawfish are back in season is Crawfest. This party, sponsored by Tulane University, features some 20,000 pounds of crawfish, thousands of pounds of vegetables, two main stages, a bunch of bands, and a heavy student presence.
With that said, all are welcome — it costs $20 to get in, and kids 12 and under enter for free. (The fest is also free to Tulane students, with a wristband.) Crawfest kicks off on Tulane’s campus in Uptown, New Orleans.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Thursday-Sunday, April 23 – May 3, 2026
The last weekend of April and the first weekend of May mark one of the biggest, most anticipated, and always well-attended events this side of Mississippi. Visitors from all over the world flock to the Fairgrounds for the food and the music of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which is celebrating over 50 years of successful and exciting existence. The music is the focal point, of course, but don’t miss the second lines, the art vendors, and the local food favorites like Crawfish Monica and cochon de lait po-boys.
MAY
Hancock Whitney Zoo-To-Do
Friday, May 1, 2026
Late spring also brings us Whitney Zoo to Do, an annual fundraiser for the Audubon Nature Institute and the chicest gala in town. It’s held on the Zoo’s grounds and features live music, a silent auction, and food and cocktails from dozens of the best restaurants and bars in the city.
Greek Fest
Friday-Sunday, May 22-24, 2026
Greek Fest typically takes place over the Memorial Day weekend at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (1200 Allen Toussaint Blvd.). This annual tradition beloved by locals is worth the trip to Lakeview for its food, music, cooking demos, Hellenic dance performances, and even a toga contest. Expect traditional Greek music featuring bouzouki guitar, dancers in traditional costumes, and kid activities. Greek staples like souvlaki, baklava, spanakopita, and gyro will be served (day and weekend passes available).
More May Events
Although not specific to New Orleans, there are a few events you can celebrate here with gusto. Grab a margarita at one of our many wonderful restaurants on Cinco de Mayo (Tuesday, May 5, 2026), celebrate Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10, 2026) by booking brunch at one of the many elegant eateries, or visit The National World War II Museum to honor Memorial Day (Monday, May 25, 2026).
JUNE
New Orleans Wine & Food Experience
Wednesday-Sunday, June 10-14, 2026
In its 34th year in 2026, 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 Fest
Saturday, June 13, 2026
New Orleans Pride is a large LGBTQ+ event that includes shows, dance parties, and a parade. The parade kicks off at the Phoenix bar at 6 p.m.
French Market Creole Tomato Festival
Saturday-Sunday, June 13-14, 2026
Celebrating its 40th year in 2026, 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. 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. It’s open to all, and you’re encouraged to wear “your favorite tomato attire.” 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.
New Orleans Juneteenth Festival
Friday, June 19, 2026
Come to Congo Square in Armstrong Park to commemorate this remarkable date with this free festival, held from noon to 6 p.m.
Father’s Day
Sunday, June 21, 2026
Though technically it’s not a festival, you can make it your own by honoring your dad! Take your dad to brunch, a museum, or just a walk at the Riverfront. Make your reservation soon, and enjoy the good food and fun this city has to offer!
Restaurant Week New Orleans
Monday-Sunday, 2026 dates TBA
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.
Are you visiting New Orleans this spring?
Take advantage of Alder Hotel’s 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!
Also, consider booking a guided tour of the famous St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 to experience the hauntingly beautiful past of New Orleans. And, 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!
Happy spring!