There’s no doubt that New Orleans is one of the top Festival Capitals of the World. From music at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Fest, Essence Music Fest and Voodoo Festival to exotic food specialties at the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience, Po-Boy Festival and others, the city offers exciting celebrations. There’s also 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.
While we missed Mardi Gras this year (it went through March 4, 2014), the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival which was from March 19-23, 2014 and the Foodfest on March 22, 2014, we thought we’d recap some of the festivals in April and also give you the list of the top festivals for the rest of the year.
In April, they had the Freret Street Festival on April 5, 2014. Held in the funky, Uptown arts corridor. The Freret Street festival brings music, food, arts, and the very best of one of New Orleans’ hottest neighborhoods.
They also had the French Quarter Festival from April 10-13, 2014, where they had Creole and Cajun foods together with live music throughout the Quarter. A few people I know attended the Jazz and Heritage Festival from April 25 through May 4, which is their annual spring celebration of food, music, art and fun. Below are a few shots taken by Amy Higgins during her jaunt to the festival. They were so fun, we had to share them here. Man, does it look like they had a great time!
Below is a list from May through December. Also note the New Orleans online (www.neworleansonline .com) page for festivals and more information in-depth, a great resource for arts and activities in this fabulous city.
| May | |
 | May 16-18, 2014 Relax alongside beautiful Bayou St. John as Bayou Boogaloo, a FREE music, art and food festival, celebrates our Mid-City neighborhood. |
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 | May 21-24, 2014 Join thousands of wine and food lovers at the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience. |
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 | May 23-25, 2014 Opa! Come dance, eat and be merry, Greek Style, by the Bayou St. John every Labor Day weekend. |
| June | |
 | June 14-15, 2014 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. |
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 | TBA 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. |
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 | June 19-22, 2014 Grab your girlfriends and head down to the ultimate “gals” getaway during this weekend-long celebration of women. |
| July | |
 | July 3-6, 2014 Spend your 4th of July holiday in New Orleans to celebrate the talent of Essence music festival. |
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 | July 11-14, 2014 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! |
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 | 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. |
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 | July 17-21, 2014 Only in New Orleans, where the cocktail was first created, could there be a week-long celebration of exotic libations. |
| August | |
 | August 2014 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. |
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 | TBA Three days of outdoor concerts, music history seminars, jazz exhibits, a jazz mass, a second-line parade, and local food. |
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 | August 2, 2014 Three days of outdoor concerts, music history seminars, jazz exhibits, a jazz mass, a second-line parade, and local food. |
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 | August 9, 2014 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. |
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 | August 9, 2014 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. |
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 | August 27 – September 1, 2014 Dubbed “Gay Mardi Gras,” this celebration of GLBT culture features elaborate costumes and high fashion. |
 | TBA 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 | |
 | TBA This American roots music festival recognizes the architects of rock-n-roll, blues, jazz, country, swamp pop, reggae and soul. |
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 | 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. |
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 | TBA 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. |
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 | October 17-19, 2014 This FREE weekend festival presents many of the top performers from southern Louisiana and Mississippi, plus delicious food and unique visual art. |
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 | TBA New and established filmmakers premiere their latest full-length features, shorts and animation and music videos. Get inspired through the art of film. |
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 | October 31, 2014 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. |
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 | October 31-November 2, 2014 Held each October around Halloween, Voodoo Music Experience brings together great music, food & crafts. |
| November | |
 | TBA A feast for the ears, the eyes and the soul with its examination of all things literary. |
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 | November 8-9, 2014 Come see where the popular HBO TV series is made and taste one of the ‘hood’s most popular culinary delicacies – a spicy, steaming hot bowl of good ole’ Creole gumbo. |
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 | November 19-23, 2014 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. |
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 | 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 | |
 | December 1-31, 2014 Get a taste of the Holiday Spirit – experience some New Orleans-style Christmas cheer. |
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 | December 31, 2014 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. |
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
