NEW DEVELOPMENTS: 

  •  The ESSENCE Festival of Culture Live is returning to New Orleans for the first time in two years from June 30-July 3, 2022. The festival will continue to deliver a comprehensive and engaging digital experience to attendees both live and around the world. 

  • Vue New Orleans, located on the 33rd and 34th floors of Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans, is a one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor observation deck and exhibit featuring the only 360-degree panoramic riverfront views of New Orleans and beyond.  

  • It is a state-of-the-art cultural exhibit designed to honor, celebrate, and share stories of the diverse cultures that converged to create the magic that is New Orleans. 

  • Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB) is offering an in-depth look into how to create delicious, traditional dishes that can be found nowhere else in the world, while discussing their cultural and historical origins led by Chef Dee Lavigne, SoFAB’s Director of Culinary Programming.  

  • Both the Cajun and Creole classes include a curatorial-led tour of the museum. 

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

  • Queen Nefertari’s Egypt will be on display at the New Orleans Museum of Art from March 18 to July 17, 2022.  

  • Queen Nefertari was the royal wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II and is known through a complete temple consecrated to her in Abu Simbel.  

  • Her tomb, the largest and most richly decorated in the Valley of the Queens, was discovered in the early 20th century by a team of archaeologists led by Ernesto Schiaparelli.  

  • The 230 works presented in Queen Nefertari’s Egypt will be on loan from the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy.  

  • Mardi Gras officially kicked off Thursday, January 6, known as Twelfth Night. Carnival parades started on Jan. 6 with two parades in the French Quarter and Uptown. The majority of parades will roll beginning Friday, February 18 through Tuesday, March 1, 2022.   

  • For more information visit https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/.   

  • After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest is slated to return from April 29 - May 8, 2022. The Ultimate Jazz Fest Guide is available here.  

  • 2022 Festival Calendar Highlights:  

  • French Quarter Fest, April 21 – 24, 2022 

  • For a full list of events, click here. 

  • Tales of the Cocktail is celebrating its 20th anniversary from July 25-29, 2022. 

  • With hundreds of opportunities developed specifically for industry professionals from bartenders to distillers, Tales of the Cocktail® is the drinks industry’s leading conference for exchanging new ideas, products, and techniques. 

ATTRACTIONS: 

  • Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, located in the Warehouse District, opened in early 2021. The museum explores the unique history and culture of Southern Jews: how and when they arrived, which customs they held on to, and how they created new traditions alongside their neighbors in cities large and small across the South.  

  • Liberations Pavilion at The National WWII Museum, currently under construction, will mark the final major addition to The National WWII Museum.  

  • When complete in 2022, the Pavilion will take visitors on an inspiring journey that explores what WWII means today and the ongoing struggle for freedom and democracy.  

  • Sazerac House offers an interactive, high-tech experience takes visitors through a journey of the history and culture of spirits in New Orleans including the world-famous Sazerac Cocktail and Sazerac's roots, dating back to the 1850s, and includes a micro-distillery on-site.  

  • The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden was originally conceived in 2003 but doubled in size in 2019 and has grown to include more than 90 sculptures. Occupying approximately eleven acres in City Park adjacent to the New Orleans Museum of Art, the garden design creates outdoor viewing spaces within this picturesque landscape. Admission is free.   

  • The Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM) has moved from its long-time home on Julia Street to City Park. The new LCM is situated on 8.5 acres and has been designed for Silver LEED certification. The museum includes five interactive exhibits including a 100-foot long mighty Mississippi water exhibit, plus indoor and outdoor environment elements, including decks, bridges, sensory and edible gardens, a floating classroom and a restored interpretive wetlands area.   

  • LCM has partnered with local restaurant group, Dickie Brennan & Co., for the onsite full-service cafe, Acorn, which has seating for 165, with half the seating inside and half outside. There is also a kid's culinary lab and child size booths.  

  • The World War II Museum announced on Veterans Day its latest addition, Expressions of America, a first-of-its-kind nighttime sound and light experience celebrating the power of individual Americans to impact the world around them during a time of monumental conflict.  

  • Available exclusively at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans starting on Veterans Day 2022, Expressions of America will immerse audiences in written words, songs, and personal reflections of the everyday men and women who served our country in every way imaginable during World War II.  

  • Generously presented by the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation, Expressions of America will uniquely combine the latest outdoor projection technology with wartime letters and oral histories from the Museum’s collection to allow audiences to experience the stories of the WWII generation like never before.  

  • In February 2022, The National WWII Museum announced a $7.5 million commitment from the Priddy Family Foundation, the largest individual gift in Museum history, supporting new immersive, cinematic experience in the upcoming Liberation Pavillion. 

  • Liberation Pavilion, which is expected to open in late spring 2023, will explore the end of the war, the Holocaust, the immediate postwar years, and the war’s continuing impact today. The pavilion will house two floors of exhibit space featuring personal experiences, iconic imagery, impactful artifacts, and immersive settings. 

  • The third-floor Priddy Family Foundation Freedom Theater will help ensure that the stories of World War II remain relevant for future generations by offering audiences a 20-minute multi-sensory experience focused on the lasting impact of World War II and the ongoing struggle for freedom and human rights. 

  • Powerful, original visuals will be projected throughout the show, and at a pivotal moment, the theater audience platform itself will rotate. The memorable, thought-provoking experience will highlight the importance and fragility of freedom while making the sacrifices of World War II profoundly relevant today. 

HOTELS: 

  • The Frenchmen Hotel was remodeled and opened in February 2022. Originally built in 1860, The Frenchmen hotel has a storied history hosting locals and visitors of New Orleans alike. Remodeled and reimagined in 2021, The Frenchmen continues to honor that tradition by breathing new life throughout our historic walls. 

  • From the rooftop bar to the courtyard plunge pool and the expressive art to the authentic jazz resonating from the sister venue Midnight Revival, the destinations in The Frenchmen are just as robust as those on Frenchmen Street. 

  • Mint House New Orleans Riverside located minutes from New Orleans' famed French Quarter, is an adaptive reuse project housed in a converted warehouse with 15 design-forward, spacious apartments ranging from one-to-three bedrooms. The interiors were inspired by the bold colors and history of New Orleans.  

  • Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences New Orleans opened its doors in August 2021. Located on the Riverfront at the foot of Canal Street, the hotel is the latest addition to the city’s luxury accommodations.  The 34-story, mixed use development houses a 341-key hotel on the lower floors and 81 luxury condominiums on the upper floors.  

  • The property includes two restaurants: Miss River by Chef Alon Shaya and Chemin a La Mer by Chef Donald Link and The Chandelier Bar. Chemin a La Mer offers spectacular views of the Mississippi River.  

  • Virgin Hotels New Orleans is the latest lifestyle brand to open its doors in the Warehouse District in August 2021. 

  • The property features 238 chambers as well as multiple dining and drinking outlets including the brand’s signature Commons Club and Funny Library Coffee Shop.   

  • Hotel Saint Vincent opened in June 2021 in the Lower Garden District. This is the latest project by designer and hotelier Liz Lambert and her partners at MML Hospitality.  

  • The 75-room hotel honors Saint Vincent’s storied past with highly considered restoration and modern design that complement the property’s historic character.  

  • The hotel features two restaurants: San Lorenzo, a coastal Italian menu with New Orleans inspiration, and the second outpost of Elizabeth Street Café, the perennial Austin favorite, featuring a French bakery and Vietnamese café menu.   

  • One 11 Hotel, the first new hotel in over fifty years in the French Quarter, opened in December 2020.  

  • Located on Iberville St., it is a chic, 83-room hotel.  

  • Guests and locals will find reprieve from the energy of the surrounding streets in the common areas, including a sophisticated lobby bar and restaurant with outdoor seating, art galleries celebrating different themes on every floor, and a vibrant rooftop with panoramic views of the French Quarter and Mississippi River, open only to hotel guests. 

  • The Chloe, on St. Charles Avenue, is a boutique-style hotel in Uptown New Orleans that opened in 2020.  

  • The hotel features 13-foot ceilings, original fireplaces and other historic details.  

  • Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, located at the intersection of Poydras and Tchoupitoulas Streets in the Central Business District, is a property that pays homage to the city’s rich musical history. Originally opening briefly in March 2020, the hotel’s grand reopening was in May 2021.  

  • The Peacock Room, the crown jewel of the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, offers a contemporary selection of hard to come by spirits and the menu features refined regional classics as well as live music.  

  • Higgins Hotel & Conference Center, a Curio Collection by Hilton on the campus of The National World War II Museum, opened in mid-2019. The hotel features 230 guestrooms, a second-floor conference center with more than 18,000 square feet of meeting space, plus restaurants, a provisions market and a rooftop venue with stunning views of the city.  

RESTAURANTS: 

  • Mister Mao is a new tropical roadhouse on Tchoupitoulas in the Garden District. Unapologetically inauthentic, Mister Mao is serving up locally sourced, global flavors through refined small plates.  

  • St. John is a new restaurant on Decatur Street in the French Quarter in September 2021.  

  • Chef/owner Eric Cook’s menu will draw influences from the melting pot of cultures that lent traditions, flavors, ingredients, and cooking styles to the city- Italian, French, African, German and Caribbean. 

  • Banh Mi Boys, a unique Vietnamese sandwich shop, has expanded from its Metairie location. In December 2021, Banh Mi Boys opened up a new location Uptown on Magazine Street. 

  • The former Claret Wine Bar space was renamed The Bower Bar and opened in early January 2022.  

  • The cocktail program at The Bower Bar is under the direction of Beverage Director Mickey Mullins and features field-to-glass libations focusing on the seasonal herbs, flowers and produce available at Sugar Roots Farm.   

  • Guests at The Bower Bar can enjoy the same culinary creations found next door at The Bower, along with the famed “boards” that made Claret a go-to destination for cheese and charcuterie. 

AIR LIFT: 

  • Air Transat is resuming seasonal service from Montréal to New Orleans two times per week starting on February 22.   

  • Air Canada is resuming their direct flight from Toronto on July 1.   

  • British Airways is expected to resume nonstop flights between London Heathrow to MSY April 25, four days per week.  

  • Alaska Airlines announced a plan to add direct flights from Portland to New Orleans starting in December and running through April 2022.  

  • Jet Blue announced service to LaGuardia in the 1st Quarter of 2022.    

COVID SAFETY:  

  • Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020, New Orleans & Company has promoted the highest safety protocols and strongly encouraged visitors to follow guidelines for masking, social distancing, and vaccines for the safety of all who choose New Orleans as a city to live, work and visit.  

  • Today, Orleans Parish has among the highest vaccination rates in all the state currently at 77.4% fully vaccinated, 88.4% with at least one dose and 47.1% boosted. (as of February 15, 2022) 

  • More information on New Orleans & Company COVID safety here.  

New Orleans & Company Media Contacts:

Kelly Schulz
Senior Vice President, Communications & Public Relations
kschulz@neworleans.com, 504-421-0962

MaryBeth Romig
Associate Vice President, Communications & Public Relations
mbromig@neworleans.com, 504-556-5050