New Orleans is justly famous for the music it produces. In some other places live music may be thought of as occasional luxury; in New Orleans live music is an essential part of the fabric of life. Parades from the grandest Mardi Gras spectaculars to small neighborhood club events have to have bands to get the locals dancing in the streets. Hey, New Orleans is the birthplace of the "jazz funeral".
There are usually several good performers somewhere in town even on a slow night. Understand that most of the good stuff is not along the tourist strip of Bourbon Street. Even in the parts of town less known to visitors, most sections of the city have at least one (and often several) venue offering great live music.
Budget travelers should know there are usually at least a few free live music events every week in various parks and galleries around town.
The best ways to keep informed about who is playing where and when:
Gambit's Best of New Orleans, the city's local newsweekly with features on arts and entertainment and whatever else is going on. Gambit also produces the de-facto local restaurant guide and listings.
Offbeat Magazine is a free monthly local music magazine with extensive listings. Can be picked up at most music venues, coffee shops, and other places around town, or ask your hotel concierge for a copy.
WWOZ 90.7 F.M. is the community radio station dedicated to local music. At the top of each odd numbered hour they play a listing of the live music happening around town for the day. WWOZ is also good for finding out about special events like "second line" parades and "jazz funeral"s.
WTUL 91.5 FM is the Tulane college radio station, playing mostly progressive music, but also jazz, classical, and numerous other specialties. At the top of each hour they announce concerts and other events going on around town.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about New Orleans
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in New Orleans - updated May 2024
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New Orleans Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
