2013 New Orleans Festivals
Festival Season is Year-Round in New Orleans

New Orleans is the Festival Capital of the World. We have dozens of festivals that celebrate our unique food, music and multicultural heritage all year-long.

You'll find great music at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Fest, Essence Music Fest and Voodoo Festival; exotic food specialties at the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience, Po-Boy Festival and others; and exciting celebrations our city's diverse culture at Fiesta Hispanica, St. Patrick's Day, Southern Decadence and more. We have writing and visual arts festivals commemorating our historic literary and film traditions like the annual Tennessee Williams Festival, FringeFest and the New Orleans FilmFest. And, of course, there's the biggest festival of them all – Mardi Gras, which is celebrated here like there's no tomorrow!

Nowhere else on the planet is there a greater selection and wider diversity of fabulous special events than those you can experience in New Orleans. On nearly any week or weekend you choose to come down here you will find SOMETHING good going on. Check out our festival calendar below, pick the festival(s) that you'd like to experience for yourself, then make your reservations and come on down for the most fun you'll ever have. We guarantee it!

February
	Rock 'n' Roll Marathon February 24, 2013 Put on your running shoes, take to the streets and see the sights of the Crescent City on foot.
	Mardi Gras Through February 12, 2013 Make plans to attend the greatest free show on earth with dozens of parades, lots of beads and plenty of fun.
March
	Soul Fest March 2-13, 2013 An annual festival of African American culture at the Audubon Zoo that celebrates the soul of New Orleans.
	Wednesday at the Square March 6 - May 22, 2013 Looking for something free and exciting to do in downtown New Orleans on a Wednesday afternoon in the spring? Come to Lafayette Square for a taste of great music, food and fun!
	St. Patrick’s Day March 3-24, 2013 With a little luck of the Irish, you’ll be in New Orleans for all of the St. Paddy’s Day festivities.
	Tennessee Williams Literary Festival March 20-24, 2013 For years literary aficionados have come to New Orleans for the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival.
	Foodfest March 22, 2013 In the mood for food? Who isn't? Prepare your appetites for the best of everything from appetizers to entrees to desserts at this year's Food Fest in the historic French Market. You'll want to taste it all! Guaranteed!!
April
	French Quarter Festival April 11-14, 2013 With outstanding live music and great Creole and Cajun foods, the French Quarter Festival rocks the Quarter.
	Jazz and Heritage Festival April 26-May 5 & May 1-5, 2013 New Orleans annual spring celebration of music, food, art, fun, and did we mention music? Not to be missed.
May
	Bayou Boogaloo May 17-19, 2013 Relax alongside beautiful Bayou St. John as Bayou Boogaloo, a FREE music, art and food festival, celebrates our Mid-City neighborhood.
	New Orleans Wine & Food Experience May 21-25, 2013 Join thousands of wine and food lovers at the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience.
	Greek Fest May 24-26, 2013 Opa! Come dance, eat and be merry, Greek Style, by the Bayou St. John every Labor Day weekend.
June
	Cajun Zydeco Festival June 8-9, 2013 Laissez le bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll, and they do – for FREE! - at the Cajun-Zydeco Festival. Two days of swingin' Cajun and Zydeco music, fabulous food, colorful crafts and "passin' a good time" in the French Quarter.
	Creole Tomato Festival June 8-9, 2013 Where else but in New Orleans will you find a festival celebrating tomatoes? It happens annually when the Creole tomato harvest comes in and what better place than in the French Market, the oldest urban outdoor market in the U.S.
	Festigals June 20-23, 2013 Grab your girlfriends and head down to the ultimate "gals" getaway during this weekend-long celebration of women.
July
	Essence Festival July 4-7, 2013 Spend your 4th of July holiday in New Orleans to celebrate the talent of Essence music festival.
	Bastille Day July 14, 2013 It's considered the "French Independence Day" and it comes only a few days after our own. Come celebrate Bastille Day in New Orleans, the most French of American cities, with food, fireworks and fun!
	San Fermin in Nueva Orleans (Running of the Bulls) TBA Get your running shoes on and prepare to be chased through the French Quarter by the Big Easy "RollerBulls" as New Orleans harmlessly duplicates the thrill of Spain's Running of the Bulls.
	Tales of the Cocktail July 17-21, 2013 Only in New Orleans, where the cocktail was first created, could there be a week-long celebration of exotic libations.
August
	Coolinary New Orleans August 2013 Beat the heat by staying "cool" within an affordable price range as some of New Orleans' top restaurants offer deep discounts on their fabulous culinary selections.
	Satchmo SummerFest August 1-4, 2013 Three days of outdoor concerts, music history seminars, jazz exhibits, a jazz mass, a second-line parade, and local food.
	Whitney White Linen Night August 3, 2013 Three days of outdoor concerts, music history seminars, jazz exhibits, a jazz mass, a second-line parade, and local food.
	Red Dress Run TBA Put on your red dress – yes, you men too! – and join in with the 3-H Club as they run for charity while celebrating the joys of beer and life's other pleasures.
	Dirty Linen Night August 10, 2013 Save your dirty linens from the weekend before for this event! The most quirky and fun annual art walk through Royal’s Street famous galleries and shops.
	Southern Decadence August 28 - September 2, 2013 Dubbed “Gay Mardi Gras," this celebration of GLBT culture features elaborate costumes and high fashion.
	French Film Festival August 2-8, 2013 Every summer in La Nouvelle Orléans, we offer a festival of fabulous French films that are artistic and groundbreaking in the great tradition of Truffaut and others. For all you Francophiles and film aficionados this is not to be missed!
October
	Ponderosa Stomp October 3-5, 2013 This American roots music festival recognizes the architects of rock-n-roll, blues, jazz, country, swamp pop, reggae and soul.
	Oktoberfest TBA On the last weekend of September and every weekend during October, visitors can enjoy a piece of Germany in the heart of New Orleans.
	Louisiana Seafood Festival October 11-13, 2013 Come out and enjoy the fabulous seafood our city is famous for and be assured that it's as good as the music you'll be hearing at this annual September event in the Fulton Street Mall.
	Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival October 18-20, 2013 This FREE weekend festival presents many of the top performers from southern Louisiana and Mississippi, plus delicious food and unique visual art.
	New Orleans Film Festival October 10-17, 2013 New and established filmmakers premiere their latest full-length features, shorts and animation and music videos. Get inspired through the art of film.
	Halloween in New Orleans October 31, 2013 Thought Halloween was just a silly holiday for trick or treating? Think again. Halloween in New Orleans is an all out celebration complete with a parade, music festival, cemeteries, and plenty of voodoo magic.
November
	Voodoo Music Experience November 1-3, 2013 Held each October around Halloween, Voodoo Music Experience brings together great music, food & crafts.
	Words and Music Festival TBA A feast for the ears, the eyes and the soul with its examination of all things literary.
	Fringe Festival November 20-24, 2013 Bring your unproduced play or one-person show or just bring yourselves and enjoy the premieres of new works that may one day light up the marquee along the Great White Way.
	Oak Street Po-Boy Fest TBA Meat, cheese, veggies and plenty may-nez, as we say here, as well as anything else that can be stuffed between two halves of a French bread loaf. Come out to the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival and find out what the fun's all about.
December
	Christmas New Orleans Style! December 1-31, 2013 Get a taste of the Holiday Spirit - experience some New Orleans-style Christmas cheer.
	New Year's Eve December 31, 2013 Start the New Year off right in New Orleans with one of the greatest New Year's Eve parties in the country complete with great live music, food, and fireworks.