Articles
Reading for the trip.
Guides and notes from the calendar: the big festivals explained, where to stay, and the traditions visitors ask about first. Written from the same sources the calendar is checked against.
French Quarter Festival 2027: four free days in the Vieux CarréEvent guide · Sun 01 Nov 2026From Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 April 2027, more than 20 stages and 1,700 musicians take over the French Quarter, and admis...Jazz Fest 2027: dates, tickets and planning the two weekendsEvent guide · Sun 01 Nov 2026The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival runs over two four-day weekends at the Fair Grounds Race Course: Thursday 22 ...Mardi Gras 2027: a first-timer's guide to Carnival in New OrleansEvent guide · Sun 01 Nov 2026Carnival is a season, not a day: it opens on Twelfth Night, Wednesday 6 January 2027, and closes on Mardi Gras Day, Tues...Second lines, explained: the parade that invites you inGuides · Sun 01 Nov 2026First the band and the club, in matching suits. Then everybody else: the second line is the crowd that follows a New Orl...Where to stay in New Orleans: four areas, honestly comparedGuides · Sun 01 Nov 2026The French Quarter, the CBD, the Garden District and Uptown, and the Marigny and Bywater are four different trips wearin...