New Orleans is now one of ten American Cities in the Creative Cities Network

NEW ORLEANS (October 31, 2025) – New Orleans & Company is excited to announce that New Orleans has been designated a ‘Creative City” for Music by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), joining only nine US cities and giving our musicians prestigious global recognition and opportunities with other international Creative Cities.

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations with the aim of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. The UNESCO Creative Cities committee looks for cities that demonstrate a deep, authentic integration of creativity into their urban development—where culture is not an accessory but a driving force for economic, social, and environmental progress. They prioritize places with a proven commitment to collaboration, inclusivity, and sustainability, showing both a rich creative heritage and a forward-looking vision that benefits the entire community.

New Orleans & Company partnered with the city of New Orleans and a VIP advisory board throughout the application process and officially submitted the application in March 2025. Now New Orleans will join 407 other member cities, including only 10 US cities, spanning 100 countries in the UCCN.  The Creative City of Music designation recognizes cities that have identified music as a strategic factor for their growth and promotes cooperation among them. It also allows our city and our culture bearers to be part of the UNESCO international network. This designation also gives New Orleans a seat at the table for future UNESCO World Heritage Site designations and global events.

"I am incredibly proud of the work our team has done over the past few years to connect with other Creative Cities and advocate for New Orleans’ inclusion in the network. Not only does this UCCN Creative Cities designation fortify our seat at the global table, but it opens avenues for our culture bearers to connect with others in the industry in a way never before possible,” said Walt Leger, III, President & CEO of New Orleans & Company, the New Orleans tourism industry’s official destination marketing and sales organization. “This recognition for our music community is well-deserved and will help ensure New Orleans’ rightful place as the most unique, remarkable and welcoming destination in the world.”

“Getting this designation is a tremendous achievement for the city of New Orleans. Music and its culture bearers are a major part of the fabric that makes New Orleans so special,” said New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “Becoming a UNESCO Creative City of Music opens doors to our culture bearers and will help us further amplify the positive social and economic impacts of New Orleans’ music industry.”

“New Orleans, Louisiana is home to some of the world’s most unique cultural heritage elements that have created the alchemy and foundation for musical genres such as, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Rock and Roll, Bounce and beyond. As a life long educator, band leader of Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots, Big Chief of the Northside Skull and Bone Gang, and member of the Black Men of Labor Social Aid and Pleasure Club, I’m excited and proud that our city is joining the ranks of UNESCO Creative Cities. Through Stewardship, we can perpetuate and preserve our culture heritage for  future generations,” said Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, member of the New Orleans UNESCO Creative Cities of Music Advisory Board.

"The magnitude of this achievement for both the city of New Orleans and our music culture bearers cannot be understated,” said Jacob Peters, Executive Director of the Bayou District Foundation. “The ability to connect with other UCCN member cities and share ideas and network is critical for New Orleans non-profits and we look forward to growing these connections.”

“Paducah proudly congratulates New Orleans on its designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Music. This recognition celebrates a legacy that has long inspired artists and audiences around the world. As a fellow Creative City, Paducah is thrilled to welcome New Orleans into the network and looks forward to the creative connections, shared learning, and cultural exchange that strengthen all of our communities. Creativity has a way of uniting us, and few places embody that spirit more than New Orleans," said Alyssa Phares, Focal Point of Paducah UNESCO Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art.

Special thanks to our UNESCO Creative Cities of Music Advisory Board:

  • Jon Batiste
  • Reid Wick (Director of Regional Advocacy & Member Engagement at the Recording Academy)
  • Quint Davis (Producer of New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival)
  • Cleveland Spears (President/CEO of Spears Group)
  • Evan Holmes (General Manager at Superdome, Smoothie King Center, & LSED Properties)
  • Emily Madero (President/CEO of French Quarter Festival) 
  • Curtis Doucette (Owner of Dew Drop Inn) 
  • Shelly Waguespack (President of Pat O’Brien’s)
  • Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes (Musician, former National Park Ranger, Big Chief of Northside Skull and Bones Gang)
  • Cory Howat (Executive Director of Catholic Community Foundation)
  • Derrick Tabb (Founder of the Roots of Music)
  • Shaka Zulu (New Orleans Indigenous Masking Societies Chief & Musician) 
  • David Bilbe (General Manager at Royal Sonesta New Orleans)
  • Mia Borders (President of Third Coast Entertainment)
  • Robin Barnes (Songbird of New Orleans)
  • Scott Tilton (Founder of the Nous Foundation)
  • Executive Contact, Tristan Bagala, New Orleans & Company 
  • Mayor’s Representative, Lisa Alexis, NOTCF
  • Marketing Contact, Jacob Peters, Bayou District Foundation 
  • Alternate Contact, Kevin Ferguson, New Orleans & Company

Building on this designation, in January, New Orleans will welcome the Biggest Rock Band on Earth, the Rockin’1000, to the United States for the first time to perform on the floor of the Caesars Superdome. Rockin’1000 is a collection of 1,000 singers and musicians from around the world who perform together in perfect unison and living out their dreams. Rockin’1000 has performed all over Europe but this will be its first concert in the United States. To buy tickets, visit www.neworleans.com/rockin1000/.

For more information about what the UNESCO Creative City designation and New Orleans, visit our website. 

###

About New Orleans & Company
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.