St. Joseph’s Day Altars in the French Quarter: 2026

Storyboard
Written By Ellis Anderson

On the residential end of Bourbon Street, hundreds of people gathered for the annual St. Joseph’s Day altar in front of Tony Marino’s house. There are actually two altars - the other is set up inside. 

 March 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

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Historic BK House & Gardens - March 18 & 19

The blessing of the BK House altar took place March 18, beginning with a short mass in St. Mary’s, just across the street

Irene’s Restaurant on Bienville Street, March 18 & 19

Our favorite bread sculptures

In Irene’s courtyard

Irene DiPietro with Archbishop James Checchio in the kitchen at Irene’s, photo by Bethany Bultman

After blessing the altar on March 18th, Archbishop James Checchio stepped into the kitchen at Irenes to bless it as well. Photo by Bethany Bultman

St. Joseph’s Day on Bourbon Street, March 19

presented by the St. Joseph Altar Society on Bourbon Street

The altar opens at 6pm on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19

It’s a 10-year tradition that feeds hundreds of people each year, started by Tony Marino

Dozens of volunteer help with the event

 

The altar in Tony’s dining room

Tony testing a cookie

After the blessing, the food is served and the neighborhood gathering continues into the evening.

Ellis Anderson

Ellis Anderson first came to the French Quarter in 1978 as a young musician and writer.  Eventually, she also became a silversmith and represented local artists as owner of Quarter Moon Gallery, with locations in the Quarter and Bay St. Louis, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  

Her book about the Bay's Katrina experience, Under Surge, Under Siege, was published by University Press of Mississippi and won several awards, including the Eudora Welty Book Prize in 2010 and the Mississippi Library Association's Nonfiction Author's Award for 2011.  Under Surge, Under Siege was also short-listed as nonfiction finalist for the 2012 William Saroyan International Book Prize, Stanford University Libraries.

 In 2011, Anderson founded her first digital publication, the Shoofly Magazine and served as publisher from 2011 - 2022.  She established French Quarter Journal in 2019, where she currently serves as publisher and managing editor.

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