Come to Lafayette Square Wednesday evenings in spring for a taste of great New Orleans music from well-known artists known to liven up your spirits and get you into a dancing mood.
Wednesday at the Square is a free weekly concert series sponsored by the Young Leadership Council of New Orleans. Elevated above the crowd on a big sound stage, bands perform a wide variety of indigenous musical styles, including jazz, rock, funk, swamp pop, Latin rhythms and more. Performers have included Jon Cleary, Cowboy Mouth, Kermit Ruffins, Amanda Shaw and Flow Tribe.
In addition, you will be treated to the sounds of some of New Orleans' most famous brass bands as opening acts. You can bring your own chairs or blankets and sit on the ground in the lovely tree-lined park. The front of the stage is reserved for dancing.
Food booths and concessions dot the perimeter of Lafayette Square, offering local culinary specialties from small plates to entrée items to delicious desserts. And, to wash it all down, a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are also for sale. Food and drink sales are what help sponsor the events and keep them. No outside food or beverages may be brought in to the park during the concerts. Local artists also sell jewelry, clothes and accessories and artwork.
Admission is free! Concerts start at 5 p.m. and usually last until 7:30 p.m. Lafayette Square is located just one block off of Poydras Street, between St. Charles Avenue and Camp Street, opposite the Federal Court buildings. It is within convenient walking distance from all downtown hotels and it’s on the St. Charles streetcar line.
Pets are allowed in the square during the concerts, provided they are on a leash no longer than six feet.
First known as Place Gravier, it became Lafayette Square after Lafayette’s visit to New Orleans in 1825. Located adjascent to Gallier Hall, Lafayette Square has been the site for inaugurations, yearly pilgrimages by...