New Orleans News | Press

New Orleans' monthly Media Update covers the latest travel and tourism developments around town. Please email jhollings@neworleans.com to be added to our media mailing list.

What’s New in New Orleans Hospitality Industry – October 2019

NEW DEVELOPMENTS:

• The Sazerac House will officially open its doors to the public this month on October 2^nd. Located at the corner of Canal and Magazine Streets, less than 350 yards from the original Sazerac Coffee House, The Sazerac House will offer an enriching sensory experience that embodies the city’s spirited and historic character.
  • In 2017, the Sazerac Company began work of reimaging and restoring the historic 48,000 square-foot building which was left unoccupied for more than 30 years.  
  • The interactive, high-tech experience will take visitors through a journey of the history and culture of spirits in New Orleans including the world-famous Sazerac Cocktail and Sazerac roots.
• The new Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM) in New Orleans City Park officially opened the doors to its new $47.5 million state-of-the-art facility in August.  
  • The new museum is nestled on a lush 8.5-acre site in City Park and is an undeniable asset to New Orleans and Louisiana children and families, as well as visitors from around the country and the world, with a focus on early childhood development for children eight and under.
  • The museum began construction at its new site in May 2017 after 31 years at its beloved location in the Warehouse District.
  • The museum features five interactive, education exhibits, a 100-foot long mighty Mississippi water exhibit, a literacy center, a parent-teacher resource center and Acorn, a Dickie Brennan & Co. café. The museum also features outdoor environmental elements including decks, bridges, sensory and edible gardens, a floating classroom and a restorative, interpretive wetlands.
• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is on track to open the new 972,000 square-foot facility this fall.   
  • This new, world-class terminal complex will completely replace the current facility.
  • The $1 billion project includes in-line baggage screening, a consolidated security checkpoint to three concourses and 35 gates, a 2,200-car parking garage and more concessions options located down the concourse center aisles. 
  • Food and beverage concessions and news, gift and specialty treat retail concessions will feature a mix of local brands representative of Louisiana and New Orleans as well as national brands that appeal to both the local and visiting passengers, including Shake Shack, Mondo, Leah’s Kitchen and Midway Pizza.
  • The new facility is expected to increase the airport’s economic impact by approximately 20% in the next five years and will support 64,000 jobs and $6.4 billion in local spending.
• For a full list of developments, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• The 2^nd annual Scout Island Scream Park has returned to City Park bringing the largest Halloween event in the city from now until November 2^nd.
  • Scout Island Scream Park is a family-friendly Halloween festival that features a Fright Zone, Pirate Pub and Music Hall, a Haunted Terror Tour, carnival rides and more.
• ​​Oktoberfest will take place at the Deutsches Haus of New Orleans located at 1700 Moss Street along Bayou St. John.
  • The event will occur over three consecutive weekends in October: October 4^th-5^th, 11^th-12^th and 18^th-19^th, bringing authentic German foods, beer, live music, dances, activities and more. 
• The 39^th annual Art for Arts’ Sake will return on October 5^th for their annual showcase of art, food and music on Magazine Street.
  • More than 100 shops, stores, restaurants and galleries along the six-mile stretch of Magazine Street will participate. 
• The 4^th annual Beignet Fest returns to the Festival Grounds at City Park on October 5^th for an afternoon full of every kind of beignet you can imagine.
  • This year’s festival will bring more than 20 beignet vendors and a fun music lineup including the Imagination Movers, Honey Island Swamp Band, Hot 8 Brass Band and Big Sam’s Funky Nation.
  • All proceeds from the festival benefit the Tres Doux Foundation, which supports local nonprofit programs that serve children with autism and related developmental differences.
• The 5^th annual Tremé Fall Festival will take place on October 5^th throughout the Tremé neighborhood for a daylong festival featuring local music, food and art vendors, community activities and more.
   
• The 3^rd annual NOLA Mac n’ Cheese Fest returns to Louis Armstrong Park on October 12^th bringing mac n’ cheese of all kinds from more than a dozen local restaurants, live music, drinks and an Artist Market.
   
• The 30^th annual New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF), presented by the New Orleans Film Society, returns October 16^th-23^rd.
  • NOFF will feature exclusive screenings, receptions and parties, panel discussions and workshops featuring industry leaders, competitions and more at various locations throughout the city.
  • NOFF is one of the few film festivals that is Oscar-qualifying in all three Academy-accredited categories: Narrative Short, Documentary Short and Animated Short.
• The 14^th annual Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival will bring three days of live blue and jazz performances, a local art market and some of the best BBQ vendors in the city to Lafayette Square October 18^th-20^th. 
   
• The 12^th annual Krewe of Boo, the Crescent City’s official Halloween parade, will roll October 19^th, starting in the Marigny, then rolling through the French Quarter and ending in the Warehouse District.
  • The Krewe of Boo will continue their tradition of primarily throwing locally made edible items and collectables to parade goers in an effort to reduce waste.
  • The New Orleans Zombie Run will take place the morning of the parade. The 2-mile race will begin in the Warehouse District and end on Frenchmen Street. Participants are encouraged to dress as their favorite monster.
• ​The 20^th annual Voodoo Music + Arts Experience will return to City Park Halloween Weekend, October 25^th-27^th, inviting attendees again to “Worship the Music.”
  • This year boast an impressive lineup of artists including Guns N’ Roses, Post Malone, Beck, Bassnectar and more.

For a full list of events, click here.

HOTELS:

• HI New Orleans, the latest development from Hosteling International, officially opened at 1028 Canal Street last month. The state-of-the-art hostel features 24 private rooms, 122 dorm beds, a large common space and an onsite café, TaCreole.
   
• The French Ministry of Culture included The Degas House in the Maisons des Illustres, a prestigious French designation which recognizes the famous museum and bed and breakfast as a French landmark.
  • The Maisons des Illustres honors homes for their historical value and for the people who lived in them. Their network includes the homes of writers, musicians and composers, actors, scientists, designers and world leaders.
     
• Virgin Hotels New Orleans will open their latest lifestyle hotel in the city’s Warehouse District located at 550 Baronne Street in 2021. The project officially broke ground in May. 
   
• Local hospitality group Leblanc + Smith has added Hotel Chloë to their portfolio, a boutique-style hotel, featuring 15 rooms including four suites, a restaurant, a pool, pool bar and lobby bar. Hotel Chloë will be located Uptown on Saint Charles Avenue and is expected to open Winter 2019.

RESTAURANTS/BARS:

• Coquette’s co-chefs Kristen Essig and Michael Stoltzfus opened a new restaurant, Thalia, in the Lower Garden District in early August. The 37-seat restaurant is the latest establishment for the neighborhood and has a focus on community and sustainability.
• The famous Café du Monde officially opened a new café in City Park at the end of July in the former Morning Call location.
  • The new location is open daily serving beignets and café au lait from 6 a.m. to midnight and to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
• Palm & Pine recently opened on N. Rampart in early July by chef couple Amarys and Jordan Herndon. The menu reflects cuisine from the southern states, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.

NEW DIRECT FLIGHTS:

• Spirit Airlines announced a new daily nonstop service to Nashville, Tenn. beginning on October 10^th, 2019.
• Allegiant Air announced a new seasonal service to Grand Rapids, Mich. with twice weekly flights beginning on October 3^rd, 2019.
• Frontier Airlines announced new seasonal weekly flights to Cincinnati beginning on November 15^th, 2019.
• Air Transat announced a new nonstop service to Montréal, Canada beginning in November 2019. The flight will be offered twice weekly.
• American Airlines announced a new seasonal service to Phoenix beginning on December 18^th, 2019.

MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS:

                Meetings (3,000 or more in attendance) includes:

• Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition (LAGCOE) | October 9^th-11^th
  • World-class oil and gas industry companies from more than 40 countries around the world will be in attendance
  • Career Fair for students and local professionals interested in the oil and gas industry
  • First time meeting in New Orleans
  • Projected attendance: 4,000
• International Literacy Association (ILA) Annual North American Convention | October 10^th-13^th
  • High profile speakers for the general session including New York Times bestseller Chelsea Clinton as well as Pedro A. Noguera, the professor of education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA
  • Projected attendance: 5,000
• Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Annual Conference| October 13^th-16^th
  • Designed to teach healthcare providers how to run their practices more efficiently
  • Includes top-level leadership content in general sessions, interactive content and peer-to-peer learning via Spark Sessions
  • Projected attendance: 5,000
• HMC Communications, LLC EMS World Expo | October 14^th-18^th
  • Projected attendance: 6,000
• American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) Annual Scientific Assembly & Exhibition | October 19^th-23^rd
  • The Furthering Innovation and Science for Health (FISH) Bowl will feature health care providers presenting innovative ideas pertaining to education and clinical disease for pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine
  • Projected attendance: 7,000
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition | October 25^th-29^th
  • Three Louisiana residency programs will compete in the premier pediatric trivia contest, The James W. Bass Pediatric Bowl
  • The AAP is teaming up with both St. Michael Special School and St. Alphonsus School for their Annual Community Cares Project
  • US Rep Kim Schrier, MD, FAAP (D-WA) will speak on her journey to becoming the first pediatrician elected to Congress
  • Projected attendance: 16,000

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Media Contact
Julia Hollings
504-566-5019
jhollings@neworleans.com

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