Weekend Picks is your source for the best weekend activities in New Orleans. From live music to festivals, there’s plenty to do.

This weekend in New Orleans, enjoy Tipitina’s Free Fridays concert series, Tales of the Cocktail, and more. See our picks for the weekend below. 

Tales of the Cocktail 

This cocktail conference wraps up on Friday, but not before the 13th Annual Pig & Punch. Featuring music from The Bon Vivants and Rebirth Brass Band, a fantastic lineup of premium spirits, refreshing no and low ABV drink options, and delicious BBQ from Hogs for the Cause, you’ll see why they saved the best for last. Proceeds will support New Orleans KIPP Charter Schools, The Bon Vivants Scholarship aiding first-generation college students in San Francisco, Hogs for the Cause, and Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. Tickets are $40, plus fees, and this event will be held outdoors at the Broadside. Purchase tickets here. 

Tipitina’s Free Fridays  

Throughout the summer, enjoy free concerts with different local bands taking the stage each weekend. Tipitina’s Free Fridays continues this Friday, July 26 with Erica Falls & Vintage Soul + Zita. No tickets are required; all shows are 21+.  

Sip+Dip: Yacht Rock Night 

Head to the Cool Zoo at Audubon Zoo for Sip+Dip: Yacht Rock Night on Friday, July 26. From 6:30-9:30 p.m., guests ages 21+ can enjoy an adults-only night at the lazy river. Food and drink will be available, and DJ Liz Owen will be spinning tunes. Tickets are $30, plus fees. 

The Different Strokes at Zony Mash presented by Dirty Coast

The Different Strokes are back at Zony Mash on Friday, July 26. Receive free entry if you wear a Dirty Coast Shirt. The event starts at 8 p.m. and will feature classic TV show theme songs played by an 11-piece band. 

Preservation Hall All-Stars @ Toulouse Theatre 

While Preservation Hall undergoes renovations this summer, catch the Preservation Hall All-Stars and special guests in residency at Toulouse Theatre, just down the street. There are two performances nightly at 5 & 7:30 p.m., and tickets start at $25, plus fees. 

“A Streetcar Named Desire” 

In Tennessee Williams’ iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Blanche needs a world surrounded by softness and magic, but grief and consequences creep into the household of her sister Stella as soon as Blanche comes to visit. Will Blanche be able to start her new life in the Big Easy, or will she be crushed against something brutal and hard? See this play at Marigny Opera House from July 18 to August 4. Tickets are $40, plus fees.