What’s new in New Orleans?
Photo: The Big Easy will be bustling throughout its tricentennial year. (photo via Flickr/Eric Gross)
If there’s one thing that New Orleans is great at, it’s throwing a party. So it should come as no surprise that the Crescent City will be celebrating its 300th birthday in style.
In fact, New Orleans has already been declared one of the best places to visit this year by such distinguished names as Condé Nast Traveler, Fodor’s Traveland Rough Guides.
From official tricentennial celebrations to upgrades and additions to existing attractions, the following are just a few of the best things to look for in New Orleans in 2018:
While it may not look a day over 200, New Orleans really will turn 300 years-old this year. To commemorate the occasion, the Historic New Orleans Collection has announced an entire year of custom programming to celebrate.
Highlights include a bilingual exhibit that explores the city’s first few decades and a collaborative effort with the City of New Orleans 2018 Commission’s Cultural and Historical Committee called Making New Orleans Home: A Tricentennial Symposium.
Other special birthday events include an exhibit on the influence of Catholicism on the city and a display detailing the prominent role women have played in shaping New Orleans. Jazz fans will be stoked to learn that a new saxophone sculpture will also be unveiled.
Mardi Gras to the Max
While Mardi Gras is only a small piece of the puzzle that makes this city so special, it wouldn’t be a discussion of yearly events here without touching on this one-of-a-kind festival.
Carnival season is already in full swing (it kicked off on Twelfth Night, January 6th) and the fun will rapidly escalate before coming to a crescendo on Fat Tuesday, February 13th. As always, the season will be full of revelry and parades, with many Mardi Gras processions expected to incorporate the city’s tricentennial into their annual themes.
Insider’s Tips for Mardi Gras
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people descend on New Orleans for Mardi Gras festivities. Large crowds line parade routes and the streets of New Orleans for the Greatest Free Show on Earth. Here are a few tips and regulations to make sure your clients are prepared and that your Mardi Gras experience is unforgettable!
- Be sure to check the forecast. The weather can range from 70 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the date of Mardi Gras.
- Dress in comfortable, casual clothing that is weather appropriate. If rain is forecasted, a rain coat will leave you protected from the elements and keep your hands free to continue catching beads.
- Be festive! Revelers who dress in costume often catch more. Purple, green and gold, the official Carnival colors, can be seen throughout the city.
- Be sure to bring a large tote bag or backpack to put all your beads in.
- Get to the parade route early. The best spots go quickly.
- Bring a portable chair, ice chest or blanket. Parades can last all day.
- Allow plenty of time to maneuver large crowds.
- Know exactly where the parades are by downloading one of the parade tracking apps
Have Your Cake and Eat It Too
King Cakes are the official sweet treat of Mardi Gras and, for the fifth year in a row, the King Cake Festival (January 28th) will put this doughy delight on its rightful pedestal. Attendees will be able to sample dozens of King Cakes from local New Orleans bakeries with prizes up for grabs across a spectrum of categories.
Additional Art
The New Orleans Museum of Art will be expanding its splendid Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in 2018. The grounds will be enlarged by six acres, which will provide space for an amphitheater, pedestrian bridges and several new sculptures. The best part? Just like the current garden, it will be absolutely free to enter.
And up until February 25th, art lovers will be able to catch the citywide art installation called Prospect.4. The fourth installment of this triennial exhibition is The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp, taking inspiration from the beauty of the lotus plant.
More Flights
It will be easier to reach New Orleans in 2018 as several airlines have announced new lift. German carrier Condor will be offering two flights a week this summer between New Orleans and Frankfurt, while Southwest will be flying a new nonstop service on Saturdays from Sacramento, California to New Orleans.