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St. Joseph’s Day Altars in the French Quarter: 2026
The Sicilian tradition of building annual altars to thank St. Joseph for saving them from famine is now a favorite New Orleans celebration. FQJ visited all three French Quarter altars on March 18 & 19.
- photos by Ellis Anderson
Stranger Than Fiction: A Walk With Ric “The Professor” Coleman of Hottest Hell Tours
There’s something to be said for infotainment, as a tour with ‘The Professor’ blends historical facts with a little local flavor.
– by Kim Ranjbar
Judging A Writing Competition: WWTWD
It’s a time-consuming, thought-provoking process: Go behind the scenes with the writer who served as judge for the 2026 Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Festival Poetry competition.
– by Skye Jackson
Downtown Irish Club St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2026
Wintery temps and cold winds couldn’t chill the Irish warmth of this year’s parade - fueled with the proper spirits, of course!
- photos by Cheryl Gerber
Louis Armstrong’s Halloween Magic: How a Ten-Hour Visit to his Hometown Conjured up Change
Ten years after Louisiana’s Jim Crow laws led Armstrong to swear off performing in New Orleans, a committee from the city’s nascent jazz museum convinced him to return for a ground-breaking concert – one that helped pave the way for change.
– by Bethany Ewald Bultman
Gene Cizek: Mister Marigny
The man who helped put the historic Faubourg Marigny neighborhood on the map – and still works to keep it there.
– by Doug Brantley
Invited to the Family Table at Mời
It’s a family affair at a new Vietnamese restaurant in the St. Claude corridor - just outside the Marigny – and happily, everyone’s invited.
– by Kim Ranjbar
Krewe of Zulu Parade 2026
The Krewe of Zulu – the “Every Man’s” parade since the early 1900s – swings down Basin Street on Mardi Gras Day, delighting thousands of enthused fans.
- photos by Melanie Cole
Mardi Gras Day 2026: French Quarter Portraits
Dozens of marching krewes cavorted down Royal Street on Mardi Gras day, while just a block away, the Bourbon Street Awards costume contest had crowds cheering, jeering and dropping jaws.
- photos by Ellis Anderson
Mardi Gras 2026: Marigny & French Quarter
New Orleans photographer Scott Saltzman follows the venerable Societe of St. Anne’s through the Marigny and the French Quarter on what many were calling the “perfect” Mardi Gras Day.
- photos by Scott Saltzman
Mardi Gras 1979: Mambo Moments
Although Mardi Gras was officially canceled because of a police strike, a young musician experiencing her first Carnival is left with joyous – and unforgettable – memories.
– by Ellis Anderson
Krewe of Barkus Parade 2026
This venerable canine Krewe has been parading since 1993, this year with the theme “Wicked & Wagging: Barkus Believes in Change for Good.”
- photos by Andrew Simoneaux
Behind the Barricades
Restaurants struggling to stay open amid a year-long street construction project have devised creative incentives to attract diners.
– by Kim Ranjbar
Krewe of Cork Parade 2026
Friday afternoons are legendary in the French Quarter, when lunches run through Happy Hour and then into the evening – so of course, that’s when the frolicking Krewe of Cork imbibes its way through the neighborhood.
- photos by Cheryl Gerber
Krewe of Bohème Parade 2026
The Green Fairy dazzled parade-goers along its Marigny and French Quarter route, with 30 sub-krewes creating their own kinds of magic.
- photos by Scott Saltzman
Krewe du Vieux Parade 2026
Even a wind chill in the 20s couldn’t slow down the irreverent, bawdy Krewe du Vieux as it rolled through the Marigny and French Quarter Saturday night.
- photos by Cheryl Gerber
Krewe of Petronius: 65 Years of Gay Carnival Celebrations
The Grand Dame of Gay Carnival, the Krewe of Petronius has added a fabulous flamboyant flair to the city’s Mardi Gras season since 1961.
– by Frank Perez
Frenchmen Street Meanderings and Memories
Writer and long-time Frenchmen Street bartender celebrates a special occasion - which turns out to be every night on the musical strip.
– by Christopher Louis Romaguera
Chewbacchus Parade 2026
The force was with the Krewe of Chewbacchus as they navigated through the hyperspace of the French Quarter – just ahead of a galactic cold front.
- photos by Shawn Fink