French Quarter Special Events
Here you’ll find:
On the Horizon: Special events in the months ahead
Don’t Miss: FQJ’s top special events for the coming week
The Long List: Keep scrolling for dozens more special events, curated for our readers
For regularly scheduled tours, talks, live music performances & more, see Weekly FQ Happenings !
Photo: River Fest by Melanie Cole for FQJ. See event details below!
Be a community hero by underwriting this feature! Contact us for details!On the Horizon
Save the dates for FQJ’s favorites!
Gilded Age New Orleans @ Gallier Gatherings: September 9
WWOZ Groove Gala (SOLD OUT): September 10
El Grito: September 13
Friends of the Cabildo America 250 Tour: Sept. 13
Jafet Perez: A Tribute to Bad Bunny, and opening night of Hispanic Heritage Month at New Orleans Jazz Museum: September 15
Rhythm & Roses: September 30
NOLA X NOLA: September 24 – October 4
Faulkner For All: September 25 – 28
New Orleans Ragtime Festival:October 1 – 4
Swampus Returns 2026: October 3
Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest: October 9 – 11
Soireé in the Vieux Carré: October 11
Boo Carré Halloween Haunt: October 24
Krewe of BOO! Halloween parade: October 24
New Orleans Film Festival: October 22 – 27
photo: River Fest photo by Melanie Cole for FQJ Don’t Miss List
September 15 through October 15
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Image: vecteezy-
Since 1988, the US celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15 through October 15, recognizing the significant contributions Hispanic/Latino Americans have made in the United States. This timeframe encompasses two months in which several Central American countries celebrate independence days. See more at the National Museum of the American Latino!
Look for events celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month throughout New Orleans. Join FQJ sponsors the New Orleans Jazz Museum and the French Market District for special events marking the occasion!
New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade Ave:
September 13, 5:30 – 8pm: El Grito ceremony signifying Mexican independence, Jazz museum courtyard
September 15, 5pm balcony show: Jafet Perez: A Tribute to Bad Bunny
September 18, 2pm: Azuquita La Cubana in the Performance Center
September 25, 2pm: Pavel & Direct Contact in the Performance Center
October 2, 2pm: OVJ Collective in the Performance Center
October 9, 2pm: Alesia & Sasong, Performance Center
October 13, 5pm: NolaGaita, Balcony show
October 16, 2pm: Arco Latino, Performance Center
Historic French Market, 1008 N. Peters Street:French Market District Hispanic Heritage Concert Series: Every Saturday (September 19, 26, October 3 & 10), 1pm
September 11–18, various times
CAIN: A Ballet Opera
Marigny Opera House, 725 Saint Ferdinand Street
Poster: Marigny Opera House-
CAIN, a reimagined ballet-opera, resurrects the 1707 oratorio “Cain, overo il primo omicidio” by Alessandro Scarlatti, one of the most celebrated composers of the Baroque era. This somewhat obscure gem takes on new life in a fully staged ballet-opera.
Saturday, September 12, 11am–6pm
NOLA River Fest
New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade
Photo: Scott Saltzman for FQJ-
The 12th annual NOLA River Festival celebrates the cultural, economic, environmental, and inspirational impact of the Mississippi River on New Orleans and the entire Gulf South region. Check out live music, presentations and panels, delicious local food vendors, full bar, and more! It’s FREE!
Main Stage:
All Day – DJ Archivist
11am – 12pm: Second Line with the N’awlins D’awlins Baby Dolls, Big Queen Mary K and the Original Wild Tchoupitoulas Indians, and Treme Lafitte Brass Band
12 – 12:15pm Second Line Wrap-up from the Treme Lafitte Brass Band
12:30 – 1:15pm Grayhawk Perkins
1:30 – 2:15pm Coralai
2:30– 3:15pm Jenna McSwain
3:30 – 4:15pm Sari Jordan
4:45 – 5:30pm Kumasi
6 – 7pm Yusa
7 – 7:45pm Kinfolk Brass Band
Performance Center
12:15 – 12:45pm Miss Calliope: An Oral History with Debbie Fagnano
1 – 1:45pm The State of Green Infrastructure
2 – 2:45pm City of Canals
3 – 3:45pm “The River Bends and So Must We”
4 – 4:45pm “Beaucoup Water!” A talk about AI and water in Louisiana by Drew Hawkins
5 – 5:45pm Voices of the River: A Reading with Laureate Gina Ferrara
Saturday, September 12, 5–7:30pm
French Quarter Bohemia: Swingin’ Soirée
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 520 Royal Street
Photo courtesy HNOC-
Wear your swankiest 1920s duds to this early-evening party celebrating the French Quarter’s bohemian scene! Enjoy after-hours access to the museum shop and French Quarter Galleries, an open bar of white wine and champagne, hors d'oeuvres, and live music by the Slick Skillet Serenaders. It’ll be the cat’s pajamas!
It’s part of HNOC’s [sold out!] “French Quarter Bohemia, 1926,” a day of presentations and lectures by HNOC exploring the people, places, trends, and social scene of early 20th-century French Quarter bohemia.
More info and tickets to Swingin’ Soirée here.
It’s part of [sold out!] French Quarter Bohemia, 1926, a day of presentations and lectures by HNOC exploring the people, places, trends, and social scene of early 20th-century French Quarter bohemia.
Saturday, September 19, 9:30am–3:30pm
Beautiful Spaces Symposium
The Historic BK House & Gardens, 1113 Chartres Street
Photo by Ellis Anderson-
The annual Beautiful Spaces symposium focuses on preservation, legacy, and stewardship of historic properties in recognition of BK House’s bicentennial.
Presenters include:
Robert Cangelosi of Koch & Wilson Architects
Jeff Porée, master craftsman
Ann Masson, architectural historian and preservationist
Joanna Caprera, Friends of the Cabildo tour guide and researcher
TICKETS
Saturday, September 19, 11:30am – 4:30pm; members-only reception featuring Quintron 5:30 – 7pm
Bunny Day at HNOC
Day sessions: Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street
Vic and Nat’ly costume party, members-only reception: Historic New Orleans Collection, 520 Royal Street
Image: HNOC-
From the 1980s on, cartoonist and writer Bunny Matthews captured the weird and wacky minutiae of New Orleans life through his signature characters, Vic and Nat’ly. With the opening and launch of HNOC’s newest exhibition and book, Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions, the museum hosts Bunny Day at HNOC, a daylong celebration of the artist’s life and work.
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Author Talk and Book Signing. Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street. Doors at 11am
Join authors Alison Fensterstock and Michael Tisserand for an inside look at HNOC’s new book, Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions.
1:30–2:30 p.m. “Where Y’at, Vic and Nat? A Talk About How Dey Tawk,”Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street
Featuring Dr. Katie Carmichael3–4 p.m. Vic and Nat’ly Costume Contest, 520 Royal Street. Attendees are encouraged to preregister for the contest but may also sign up on the day of. More info and register
4:30pm: Museum closes
5:30–7 p.m. Members-Only Reception featuring Quintron: 520 Royal Street
Open to HNOC members
RegisterJoin HNOC members, staff, and Bunny friends and family in raising a glass to Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions, sponsored by the 2026 Bienville Circle. Capping off Bunny Day, this members-only reception features a performance by local legend and genre-defying friend of Bunny Matthews, Quintron.
Sunday, September 20, 6 – 9pm
VCPORA 2026 Annual Gala: Les Années Folles, Roaring ’20s: A Century of Preservation
Toulouse Theatre, 615 Toulouse Street
Image: Wiki Commons-
To honor the organization’s formative years in the 1920s, you’re invited to celebrate with VCPORA in the speakeasy tradition in the red light of Toulouse Theater.
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, entrée and dessert stations!
Music by Smoking Time Jazz Club, Alicia Renne a.k.a. Blue Eyes, and Mimi Guste!
The Long List
Below are 50 upcoming events happening in the FQ and surrounding neighborhoods. Want even more? Click the button at the bottom.For a complete list of live music happenings in the city, check out WWOZ’s Livewire Music Calendar!
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