riverboat festival new orleans

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NOLA River Fest

Looking for Mardi Gras Parades? Click HERE for this years schedule!

Category: Major Events/Festivals

Start: Jun 10, 2023 12:00 AM

End: Jun 11, 2023 12:00 AM

New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA

2023 NOLA River Fest Line Up

2023 nola river panel discussions in the 3rd floor performance center.

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm   At the water's edge: Performing water in New Orleans

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Rituals: Survival, Resistance, Joy with Tank Ball 

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Return of the mighty mississippi: nola’s river fest to take place in october.

Come out and celebrate the Mississippi River at the New Orleans Jazz Museum with all of your might on October 23! This year's River Fest is coming in hot, but that kind of heat will hopefully be more tolerable with everything residents and visitors could partake in.

Unless you were living under a rock, you all know that last year's River Fest was held via Facebook live. In the wake of COVID-19, many events were either canceled or went virtual. Slowly but surely, the city has gotten the hang of taking heed to various restrictions and is trying to shake back from the massive blow of the pandemic. Many of the residents are excited to experience the spirit of New Orleans again. Many of us were yearning to get a feel of how everything used to be, and we all have a chance to live it up again—yet we must consider the health of others while enjoying the festivities.

According to the history of NOLA River Fest , it "encourages guests to invest thought and action into the preservation of the community that gathered to celebrate." The city is big on education as much as it is on entertainment. Most of the passion people have for New Orleans is rooted in their knowledge of the city and their desire to preserve and nurture it. When you know better, you do better. Wouldn't you agree? The many festivals we love attending often provide an educational aspect, and more appreciation blossoms with learning about the history of such events.

People have been attending River Fest and celebrating the Mighty Mississippi for the last eight years, and it costs nothing but your time and an open mind.

Tremé-Lafitte Brass Band, Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots, and National Park Service Band are among other artists in this year's lineup and are sure to leave a lasting impression. Want more information on who will perform? Be sure to visit River Fest's Music Line Up . Interested in what the speakers will be discussing? Click here . Don't forget to treat yourself to some wonderful food and refreshing drinks! There are various options to indulge in.

FOR THE INSIDE SCOOP ON DINING, MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT, THE ARTS & MORE!

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Things to Do: New Orleans Riverboat

A ride on the mississippi offers great views and a relaxing time.

Mark Twain said that the Mississippi River was a wonderful book with a new story to tell every day. Mississippi, a Chippewa Indian word that means “large river” is the life force that has shaped New Orleans history forever, defining and literally shaping the city into its famous Crescent outline. The best way to see what Mark Twain was talking about is to take a paddleboat tour along the hard working river, and travel back to the days when steam-driven river paddle wheelers were the main source of both transportation and commerce. Boat tours leave regularly from the riverfront area adjacent to Woldenberg Park, some offering music and meals, all offering cocktails and narration. So hop aboard one of these. 

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Mississippi River Dinner Jazz Cruise

Step on board and cruise with us into the night where the sleepless activity of America's busiest port buzzes. The sounds of a lively jazz band fill the air as you enjoy a lavish Creole buffet in elegantly appointed dining rooms. See details

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View the French Quarter, the Port of New Orleans, and Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve and be entertained by a historian narrator with a detailed description of New Orleans landmarks, history, vessel information, and river lore. See details

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Enjoy delicious brunch delicacies as you cruise down the Mighty Mississippi River while listening to the lively sounds of a traditional New Orleans Jazz band See details

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Meet the Mississippi: Exploring the New Orleans Riverfront

The Mississippi River looms large in the American identity, from the history and literature taught in schools to the nation’s modern economy.

In New Orleans, you can easily experience the river in all its bustling activity, natural splendor and historical significance via the Riverfront area adjacent to the French Quarter . Sweeping vistas, public art, family activities and jumping-off points for riverboat tours are all clustered here along a linear park and walkways.

The Mississippi has always been a working river and for generations, most New Orleanians were cut off from any access to it by floodwalls, warehouses and very busy wharves. That began to change in the 1970s through the 1980s, as underused industrial buildings near the French Quarter were razed and replaced by Woldenberg Park , a grassy open space named for local philanthropist Malcolm Woldenberg, and the Moonwalk , a walkway named for the former New Orleans mayor Maurice “Moon” Landrieu.

A great place for a picnic of po-boys or local seafood, a jog or just to catch a cooling breeze on a typically humid New Orleans day, this mile-long stretch of the Riverfront is also the setting for many community celebrations and special events. For example, the largest stages for the annual French Quarter Festival are set up here each spring and the park is prime real estate for viewing fireworks during the city’s Fourth of July activities, known collectively as Go 4th on the River .

A bronze statue of Malcolm Woldenberg in the park that bears his name is one exhibit in what has grown into an informal sculpture garden along the Riverfront. Near the philanthropist’s statue is a stainless steel sculpture called “ Ocean Song .” Created by local artist John Scott, the piece depicts the motion of water in eight narrow pyramids, polished to a reflective gleam.

Further downriver is the elegant “ Monument to the Immigrant ,” crafted from white Carrara marble by sculptor Franco Allesandrini. The work faces the Riverfront with a ship’s prow topped by a female figure reminiscent of Lady Liberty, while behind her stands a turn-of-the-century immigrant family looking toward the French Quarter.

A few blocks downriver is Robert Schoen’s “ Old Man River ,” a stone human figure also made from Carrara marble. Weighing in at 17 tons and standing 18 feet high, the statue speaks to the river’s power and majesty in its rounded, circular body forms.

The most recent addition to this collection of public art is the city’s Holocaust Memorial , which was dedicated in 2003. Created by Israeli artist and sculptor Jacob Agam, the memorial is often described as a “living work” because its images and shapes change as a visitor walks around it.

Vestiges of the area’s industrial past remain, like the warehouses and wharves that begin behind the French Market and the freight trains that still rumble along a corridor between the river and the French Quarter. Much gentler rail traffic comes in the form of the city’s red Riverfront streetcars , built in 1988 with a vintage look and modern amenities to carry passengers from Canal Street to the lower end of the French Quarter .

Past the French Market, going along St. Peter Street , one can spy the latest pedestrian-friendly addition to the city’s Riverfront real estate: the entrance to the Crescent Park , an unmissable pedestrian footbridge linked to the ground by an elevator and staircase.

The Crescent Park plays with the city’s shipping heritage, drawing upon that legacy to create a severe, post-industrial aesthetic that includes open-air pavilions, concrete buttresses, long walking and cycling paths, and rusted metal features like a pedestrian bridge, all laid out in a linear park that runs from Faubourg Marigny through the Bywater . Using Crescent Park’s linear pathway, you can walk all the way from N. Peters Street and Marigny Street to Chartres Street and Bartholomew Street .

Anywhere you go on the river, you’re likely to spot modern shipping traffic . The ports, refineries and terminals clustered between the mouth of the river and Baton Rouge to the north make the Mississippi one of the world’s busiest rivers, and from a bench along the Riverfront visitors can watch as tugs, tankers, freighters, cruise ships, and long strings of barges navigate its currents.

Street musicians usually perform nearby for tips, adding to the ambiance with their saxophones or trumpets. From the French Quarter, visitors can see with their own eyes how New Orleans earned the nickname the Crescent City as large vessels follow the dramatic turn in the river upon which the French Quarter is situated.

If all these maritime vistas give you the urge to use your sea legs, the Steamboat Natchez will take you out on the muddy Mississippi and offers tours of varying lengths and themes. Designed to resemble the old steamships that once brought cotton, gamblers and jazz up and down the river, this modern vessel gives today’s visitors a way to experience the Mississippi up close and view the city’s skyline and intricate French Quarter roofscape from the river.

Back on dry land, the Riverfront area is also home to two of the city’s most popular family attractions, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas , joined by the Insectarium in the Summer of 2023. The active area outside these facilities is filled with whimsical sculptures of marine life, well-shaded park benches and outdoor vendors serving light refreshments.

Just upriver from the aquarium area is the Spanish Plaza . Dedicated in 1976 during the U.S. bicentennial, the plaza was a gift from Spain in a gesture of friendship to its one-time colony. It features a large fountain ringed by tile mosaics of Spanish coats of arms representing that country’s provinces. Vendors in the plaza serve smoothies and snacks, while the Riverwalk Outlets  is just next door for air-conditioned shopping.

Are you planning to spend some time in New Orleans soon? To stay close to all the action, book a historic boutique hotel in the French Quarter at FrenchQuarter.com/hotels today!

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What to Eat at French Quarter Fest This Year

Culinary highlights at New Orleans’s French Quarter Festival, from soft shell crab po’ boys to praline beignets

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The French Quarter Festival , New Orleans’s free, four-day festival held along the Mississippi River, returns April 11- 14 this year, bringing with it the beloved marketplace of iconic food that has become so essential to the attendee experience over the decades.

More than 60 local vendors are set to sling everything from smothered rabbit po’ boys to crawfish pies and sno-balls, a group that includes several exciting new names, like Lufu NOLA, Fritai, and Smoke & Honey, for example. With so many options, it’s important to figure out what you want to eat ahead of time and to plot your day around it, naturally. To help, here are Eater’s highlights — including both well-established classics and promising new dishes — and where to find them, arranged by festival stage areas. For a full list of this year’s FQF vendors, see here .

Canal Street/Plaza

Ajun Cajun: Crispy soft shell crab po’boy ($16)

Addis Nola: Jambalaya ($12) and sweet African chicken (honey-glazed wings) ($12) — or get them as a combo with a meat pie on the side ($26)

Miss River: Combo of red beans and rice, a muffuletta, and a shrimp roll with a champagne pour ($32)

Jackson Square

Vaucresson Sausage Co.: Creole hot sausage po’ boy ($10)

Plum Street Snoballs: Snoballs in 11 flavors ($6)

Nori Guys: Spicy tuna sushi tacos ($10)

Patton’s: Combo plate of shrimp beignets, oyster patties, and a crawfish sack ($20)

Tujague’s: Shrimp ravigote and fried green tomatoes ($12)

Lufu NOLA: Keema rolls (four for $12) and aloo tikki chaat (crispy spiced potatoes topped with chutney and yogurt) ($12)

Afrodisiac NOLA: Escovitch fish catfish bites ($10)

Bao Mi: KFC bao ($7)

Heard Dat Kitchen : Crawdat fries topped with cheddar cheese and creamy crawfish sauce ($12)

Lasyone’s: Famous Louisiana crawfish pie ($13) — a mushroom version is also available ($10)

Ma Momma’s: Golden deep-fried wings with hot sauce (three for $10) and Belgian waffles (three for $10)

Jack Dempsey’s: Stuffed crab with baked macaroni ($12)

Miss Linda’s Yakamein: Shrimp and beef yak-a-mein ($15)

Voleo’s Seafood Restaurant: S mothered rabbit po’ boy ($14)

Jazz Museum / The Old U.S. Mint

Cochon King : Brisket burnt ends with bread, pickles, and pickled red onions ($15)

Smoke & Honey: The Lambeaux, a slow-braised lamb po’ boy ($15)

Chef Shonda: Jambalaya arancini ($9) and key lime mousse tart ($7)

NOLA Crawfish King: Boiled crawfish with corn and potatoes (prices vary)

Kohlmeyer Lawn

Fritai: Citrusy grilled shrimp pikliz ($13) and vegan toasted corn ribs ($8)

Café Dauphine: Bell peppers stuffed with deep-fried crab and shrimp ($13)

Loretta’s Authentic Pralines: Praline beignet ($6)

Monday: Deep-fried whole snapper ($25)

Morrow’s: Crab-stuffed oysters on the half-shell with garlic bread ($16)

Sun Chong: Korean fried chicken drummies with crawfish fried rice ($16)

14 Parishes: Jerk pork ($11) with sweet plantain fries ($8)

Fatty’s Cracklins : Fried chicken cracklins ($9)

Mrs. Wheat’s Pies: Shrimp and andouille mini pies (five for $8)

Restaurant R’evolution : Butter cake with miso caramel sauce ($9)

Where to Find Passover Specials in New Orleans This Year

Eat your way through new orleans’s chef-run pop-ups in 24 hours, here are new orleans’s 2024 james beard finalists.

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Dinner Jazz Cruises

Cruise with dinner USD $102.50

Sightseeing option USD $55.00

Holiday Party Package USD $132.50

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Cruise with lunch USD $60.00

Sightseeing option USD $42.00

Holiday Party Package USD $85.00

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Cruise with brunch USD $75.00

Holiday Party Package USD $92.50

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Customers booking groups of 10 or more , please use the code "WEBGROUP" during your checkout process to receive a 10% per person discount .

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Evening jazz cruise, new orleans tours, plantation tours, swamp tours, holiday & special events, mardi gras party package, spring fling party package, mother's day cruise, summer sips, easter bunny brunch cruise, new orleans steamboat company.

The New Orleans Steamboat Company is no newcomer to the Mississippi River or American's steamboat heritage.  Our parent company has been operating steamboats longer than any company in the world.  In fact, we've been part of the history of steam transport since 1817, just five years after the first steamboat docked in New Orleans. We're now in our fourth decade of life on the Mississippi.  We've given literally millions of people the experience of one of our country's oldest and richest traditions.

Come aboard and enjoy New Orleans hospitality ...Steamboat Style!

The newest addition to the New Orleans Riverfront & sister vessel of the Steamboat NATCHEZ

SAIL WITH SANTA ON THE STEAMBOAT NATCHEZ

SAIL WITH SANTA ON THE STEAMBOAT NATCHEZ: Celebrate the holiday season, and the return of the Steamboat NATCHEZ, at our Sailing with Santa Event! On Saturday, November 25th, our annual Sailing with Santa Cruise will be taking place on the newly renovated Steamboat NATCHEZ. The c…

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