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French Quarter Secret Garden Tour 2026
The beloved annual tour hosted by Patio Planters featured seven historic houses in the French Quarter, including courtyards in the former homes of Tennessee Williams and world-champion boxer Pete Herman - and the postage stamp garden in the LaLaurie Mansion.
- photos by Ellis Anderson
On the Flip Side of Fast Fashion: ricRACK
An educational non-profit settles into a new home in the French Quarter, where it’s raising awareness on sustainability – and offering fun, colorful solutions through the art of sewing.
– by Kim Ranjbar
Kenny McPeek: Quarter Horseman
The Kentucky Derby-winning racehorse trainer isn’t one to gamble, but he’s all in on French Quarter life.
– by Doug Brantley
Opening Day at the French Quarter’s New Riverfront Park
The French Quarter’s new Riverfront Park opened on April 7th, to the delight of locals, visitors, city officials, neighborhood activists, and the project team.
- photos by Ellis Anderson
French Quarter Easter Parades 2026: Best Bonnets
100+ photographs: Follow FQJ through the French Quarter on Easter Sunday as we catch three parades and search for the day’s Best Bonnets.
- photos by Ellis Anderson
St. Joseph’s Day Parade 2026
The 54th annual parade, organized by the Italian American St. Joseph Society, featured floats, dance krewes, an enormous rolling St. Joseph’s Altar – and the amazing Sansepulcro Flag Throwers from Tuscany!
- photos by Cheryl Gerber & Ellis Anderson
Danny Barker Banjo & Guitar Festival 2026
In addition to stellar performances and interviews, the festival entertained some very special guests - the grandson and great-grandson of Danny Barker himself.
- photos by Odette Harmsen
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