Celebrated Events

New Orleans is a city well-loved for its special events, festivals and celebrated traditions. There is never a dull moment in a city that celebrates all aspects of life!

Below is our list of city-celebrated favorities. For a full listing of events in town, visit the New Orleans Tourism website.

Mardi Gras - Mardi Gras needs no introduction. The Mardi Gras season begins shortly after Christmas and lasts until “Fat Tuesday,” the day before Ash Wednesday. While most will automatically think of Bourbon Street and its Mardi Gras festivities, the holiday is a city-wide celebration that is more than just a big party. Mardi Gras is rooted in hundreds of years of tradition and is led by dozens of “krewes” that celebrate the season with a series of galas, balls and parades. The holiday has a family feel in the Uptown area near Tulane. Hop on the streetcar and join in the fun!

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival - Known as one of the biggest music, food and art festivals in the world, Jazz Fest is a two week experience of what New Orleans does best. Local and nationally known musicians alike perform on the 10 stages that are set up throughout New Orleans City Park, and a half million people attend the festival every single year.

French Quarter Fest - Considered by many to be the “local’s Mardi Gras”, French Quarter Fest is yet another wonderful springtime tradition in New Orleans. The Fest will celebrate its 29th year in 2012 with over 150 musical performers and hundreds of different food venues represented. Many prospective students even work in a trip to FQF during their springtime visits to campus!  The festival celebrates its namesake and one of America’s greatest neighborhoods: the French Quarter.

Crescent City Classic - While we love to eat, New Orleanians also like to stay healthy. Runners from across the city and around the country flock to New Orleans in the spring for the annual Crescent City Classic. The road race takes its runners through a number of New Orleans’s historic neighborhoods and ends its 10k trek amongst the majestic live oaks of City Park.

Voodoo Fest - One of the newer music festivals in New Orleans, Voodoo Fest will celebrate its 9th year in October of 2011. Many famous musicians travel to New Orleans to perform at Voo Doo Fest every year, and the festival has established a significant national draw.

Celebration in the Oaks - City Park's annual holiday lights display includes refreshments, children's rides and seasonal music.

Wednesdays at the Square - The only thing better than music in New Orleans is free music in New Orleans. One of the best things about our events is that many of them are totally free including the 12-week Wednesdays at the Square concert series. Local and nationally known artists take the stage every Wednesday in April, May and June at Lafayette Square in downtown New Orleans. Local artisans can display their crafts and a wide range of local restaurants have food samplings available.

Po' Boy Preservation Festival - In New Orleans, we don’t just have sandwiches, we have po' boys...and we take our po' boys very seriously. The Po’boy Preservation Festival is a only three years old, and it takes place just blocks from Tulane's campus. The festival showcases the culinary creations of many of New Orleans' best po' boy chefs. From oyster, shrimp and crawfish to roast beef, Italian and sausage po' boys, the fest is sure to please any taste. !

New Orleans Food and Wine Experience - This annual May festival brings together more than 175 Wineries from around the world. Tag that along with food tasting from many of New Orleans finest restaurants, and you can see why this festival is one of the most popular of the year.

White Linen Night - White Linen night takes place in the trendy Warehouse District of Downtown New Orleans. The night is a block festival of local art, as each gallery in the district opens their doors for an evening of music, food and gallery tours. The event, traditionally held in August, brings more than 16,000 people to the art galleries on Julia, Magazine and St. Josephs street.

Tennessee Williams Literary Fest- This annual literary fest is held over a five-day period in March and brings together some of the most noted authors, scholars, writers and performing artists from Louisiana, the US and the world. The Festival centers on a number of theatrical performances, plays and exhibitions, lectures and panels: a perfect tour of the literary South for any student at Tulane interested in Creative Writing or English.