10 New Orleans festivals for your spring calendar

Axios

21-03-2025

Now that we've all rested up from Mardi Gras, it's time for New Orleans ' next great burst of joy: spring festival season.
Why it matters: We have precious few months until Mother Nature cranks up the heat on us, so get out there and enjoy the weather, the food and the music as much as you can.
Here are 10 festivals that should be on your New Orleans spring bucket list:
Key:
🧑‍🧒 Kid-specific entertainment
🆓 Free entry
😋 Come hungry
🧠 Be ready to learn
🎶 Be ready to dance
🆓🧠 New Orleans Entrepreneur Week
When: March 24-29.
Why you should go: If you're looking to grow or start a business, NOEW is a weeklong summit that helps local entrepreneurs do that. Attendees network with each other, tap into new ideas and find support to grow businesses.
🧠 Tennessee Williams Festival
When: March 23-30. The popular Stanley and Stella Shouting Contest is at 2pm on March 23 in Jackson Square, and free to watch.
Why you should go: The event strings together tons of fun ways to explore Williams' works, including live theater and walking tours, that are great if you're just a fan of his work or hope to write more of your own.
Bonus: The Saints & Sinners Literary LGBTQ Fest takes place concurrently with events specific to LGBTQ community interests. Details.
🧠🆓🧑‍🧒 New Orleans Book Fest
When: March 27-29.
Why you should go: Hear from local writers about their latest books and what they're working on next. The conversation topics range from local food to how to solve our infrastructure woes. It's a great place to see and be seen amongst the city's intellectual class. The fest hosts a family day, too.
😋🆓🎶 Freret Street Fest
When: March 29.
Why you should go: Six blocks get taken over by music and art plus food vendors for an entire, glorious Saturday. This year, the lineup includes Joy Clark, the 79ers Gang and the Honey Island Swamp Band.
🆓🎶 Congo Square Rhythm Festival
When: March 29-30.
Why you should go: The fest takes place in Louis Armstrong Park, which is home to Congo Square and thus the birthplace of New Orleans' music. The lineup includes the Original Pinettes Brass Band and the New Breed Brass Band.
🧑‍🧒🎶😋 Hogs for the Cause
When: April 4-5.
Why you should go: An Americana-focused music lineup plays on while you sample the goods from dozens of teams vying for best barbecue titles. Plus, the event raises money to support families dealing with pediatric brain cancer. There's usually a kid-friendly area, too.
🎶🆓🧑‍🧒😋 French Quarter Festival
When: April 10-13.
Why you should go: It's an anchor of the spring festival season, and the best free chance you'll get to hear from just about every working musician in town.
🎶🧑‍🧒😋 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
When: April 24-27 and May 1-4.
Why you should go: There's no beating the king, and Jazz Fest is it in terms of scale, scope and star power. But this year, the fest bends a little for locals, with expanded discounted ticket options for Louisiana residents.
🎶😋 Bayou Boogaloo
When: May 16-18.
Why you should go: The fest's location on Bayou St. John makes it a rarity because attendees have the option to bring watercraft (both formal and, ah, informal ones) to chill and listen to tunes while floating on the water.
😋🧑‍🧒 New Orleans Greek Festival