FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 18, 2025 
MEDIA CONTACTS:  
Kelly Schulz, kschulz@neworleans.com, 504-421-0962 
Rhonda Cook, rcook@neworleans.com, 504-616-6161  
 

More Than 300 Live Performances at 50 New Orleans Venues, Featuring Grammy Winners and Local Music Legends,
September 25 – October 5 

NEW ORLEANS, LA – September 18, 2025 – New Orleans & Company, in collaboration with local partners, is proud to present the fifth annual NOLAxNOLA concert series, taking place September 25-October 5.  

Launched in 2021, NOLAxNOLA began as an unprecedented idea during the pandemic to support musicians and culture bearers. Originally envisioned to sustain the city’s music scene in the absence of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, NOLAxNOLA has since evolved into a beloved annual tradition.  

Now in its fifth year, NOLAxNOLA continues to generate significant economic and cultural impact — bringing business to venues, celebrating every genre of music, and preserving the vibrant traditions that make New Orleans a global cultural capital. 

This year, NOLAxNOLA will feature over 50 different music venues and more than 300 musical performances supporting our local music scene and delivering economic opportunities for our community.  

Highlights of this year’s event include:  

  • September 25 - The Comedy Roast of Jelly Joseph at Tipitina’s  

  • September 25 – The Soul Rebels featuring Jelly Joseph at Le Bon Temps Roule  

  • September 26 – Cha Wa featuring Irma Thomas & more 

  • September 26 – Big Freedia + Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra at the Orpheum Theater  

  • October 3 - Erica Falls Tribute to Curtis Mayfield featuring Irma Thomas, Bill Summers, Raymond Webber, and more at Chickie Wah Wah 

This year NOLAxNOLA is expanding NOLAxNoCover from a single day of free music at venues on Frenchman Street to a citywide musical celebration with 84 amazing FREE shows. Any show labeled NOLAxNoCover is free to attend during the course of the festival. There are NOLAxNoCover shows taking place every day of the festival, with highlights including: 

  • September 27 - Afrobeat NOLA Neon featuring DJ Ojay & MC Kodjo and DJ Jess at Blue Nile  

  • September 28 - Pell & Friends featuring Alfred Banks at the Chloe Hotel 

  • September 30 - Corey Henry & the Treme Funktet at the New Orleans Jazz Museum 

  • October 5 - John Boutté at Bywater Bakery  

On October 2-3, NOLAxNOLA Talks, in conjunction with Relix Magazine, includes two days of free conversations and panels with an emphasis on the New Orleans music industry, venues, musicians and cultural artists at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, from 11am- 6pm. 

Speakers and moderators will include New Orleans Councilmember Helena Moreno, Tipitina’s General Manager Tank Greenberg, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Creative Director Anwar Nasir, Producer/Artist Pell, Founders Entertainment Co-Founder Tom Russell and many more to be announced next week.  

“NOLAxNOLA matters because it spotlights and supports our music venues and hundreds of artists at the heart of our community,” said Walt Leger, III, President & CEO of New Orleans & Company, the official destination sales and marketing organization for New Orleans’ tourism industry. Leger continued, “NOLAxNOLA continues to drive business to our members – providing not only economic benefits, but also meaningful social and cultural returns. It also reflects our mission to show the world that New Orleans is Built to Host — not just unforgettable events, but also to elevate the connection and culture that defines our city.” 

“Music is a central pillar of New Orleans’ cultural identity. In 2021, we understood how essential it was that we all banded together to support our vibrant artistic community in a time of need,” said Sig Greenebaum, Founder of NOLAxNOLA and CEO of Sigfest Events. “In true New Orleans fashion, we transformed a challenging moment into a historic one, showcasing just how resilient, adaptable, and innovative our city truly is. We’ve continued to build on our successes over the past four years, developing NOLAxNOLA into an annual series. Each year, we partner with more venues and musicians to present every genre, every night, in every neighborhood – an homage to the breadth of New Orleans’ diverse music community,” said Greenebaum. 

A full list of participating venues and artists, including events, can be found at neworleans.com/nolaxnola.  

NOLAxNOLA partners include New Orleans & Company, New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Foundation, WWOZ, Stella Artois, TIXR, and Headcount.org 

New Orleans & Company has also dedicated October as New Orleans Music Month, which is a month-long celebration of music, culture and technology.   In addition, New Orleans & Company and WWOZ partnered to create the comprehensive New Orleans Musicians Artist Database designed to help music lovers explore and learn more about our musicians, discover new artists, listen to playlists, follow them on social, and keep track of their upcoming shows in the area. 

Also, earlier this year, The U.S. State Department vetted and endorsed New Orleans as one of only two city applicants in the country that meet the criteria for membership in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). This brings New Orleans one step closer to officially securing the designation of UNESCO Creative City of Music. New Orleans & Company facilitated the application process, a project that began almost three years ago.  

 

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New Orleans & Company is the official destination sales and marketing organization for New Orleans’ tourism industry. Founded in 1960, our mission is to inspire, promote and encourage travel to our city for the economic, social and community benefit of New Orleans and its people. Our vision is to ensure New Orleans remains the most remarkable, unique, and welcoming city in the world. For more information, visit us at neworleans.com or on social media @VisitNewOrleans or @Neworleansandco.