Wednesday's Events in New Orleans

Wednesday marks another installment in this season's Harvest the Music Festival in Lafayette Square.  Head downtown at 5pm to enjoy a free concert by Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk and Good Enough for Good Times.  Admission is free, and food and drinks are available for purchase.  Proceeds benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank.

And don't forget, since it's Wednesday, that means free admission for all to the New Orleans Museum of Art!

Have a great Wednesday!

Saints Season Opener!

Thursday marks the first game of the 2010-11 NFL season, and the first Saints game!  The Saints and the NFL have put together a couple of events to help herald in the new season, so even if you don't have tickets to the game (like me), you can still partake in the festivities!

A huge stage has been set up downtown for the kickoff party and concerts.  If you want to try to snag passes to the free Dave Matthews and Taylor Swift concerts, head here to sign up.  I'm not sure if tickets are still available, but the sign up page is still working.  The concerts will run at the same time as the parade (which will pause in front of the stage), but you'll have to arrive much earlier to get your passes and get in place.

At 5pm, a Mardi Gras-style parade, the Krewe of NFL Kickoff, will begin at Esplanade Avenue and will run down N. Peters and end at Tchoupitoulas and Julia.  Expect to see many former NFL stars, including many former Saints players, on the floats!

Whether you are in the French Quarter in the midst of the celebration, or in the comfort of your own home, let's all cheer on the Saints and make it TWO DAT!

New Orleans Free and Frugal Events This Weekend - Katrina Anniversary Edition

This weekend there will be a huge focus on the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and with that, several events around town commemorating it.  Here are a few:

On Saturday from 2-8pm, the group Rebuilding Together will hold a block party at Lafayette Square to celebrate their restoration of 50 damaged homes in Gentilly.

Author Michelle O'Brien will sign her Katrina-themed children's book Twas the Night Before the Storm on Saturday from 11am to 1pm in the lobby of the Metaire Office Towers at 433 Metairie Road.

Celebrate first responders and "Share the Moon" on Saturday from 11:30am to 8:30pm in Jackson Square, and from 1-6pm at Le Petit Theatre with music (Grandpa Elliot, Full Steam Brass Band, and others), and free refreshments (including Ben & Jerry's ice cream!) at the Le Petit stage.

From noon until 3pm on Sunday, the St. Bernard Animal Shelter is hosting a free event to encourage shelter pet adoption.  This event will include face painting, snoballs, a pet photo contest, and adoption specials.

Finally, it might be cathartic for some of us to participate in a Jazz Funeral for Katrina.  On Sunday at 1pm, the Monteleone Hotel will sponsor a jazz funeral procession to Jackson Square, complete with a casket and a second-line jazz band.  Following the funeral march, there will be a memorial service at St. Louis Cathedral.

However you plan to commemorate the anniversary, please remember those who lost everything, including those who lost their lives, and those who still have not been able to come back home.

New Orleans Free and Frugal Events This Weekend

Are your kids fans of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book series?  If so, you'll want to take them to Octavia Books on Saturday.  The "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" Truck Bookstore Tour will make it's stop there from noon to 1:30pm on Saturday to celebrate book 5 in the series.

Your musically-inclined kids have yet another chance to play with a real jazz band!  On Saturday from 11am to noon, kids can drop in at the New Orleans Jazz Historical Park with their own instruments and play with the Storyville Stompers Brass Band!

On Sunday, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art is hosting its annual free fair.  From 10am to 3pm, take the family to the Ogden for a "Coastal Celebration" which will include music, dancing, craft-making, and of course, art!

Have a wonderful weekend!

New Orleans Free and Frugal Events This Weekend

Ok, so they didn't win Thursday night, but that's no reason not to head out and cheer on the Saints this weekend as they continue training camp.  The Saints will have open practices at their facility on Airline Drive Saturday through Thursday, including two practices against the Houston Texans Wednesday and Thursday.  Check here for the complete schedule.

On Saturday, gather up your children and their musical instruments and head to the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park.  From 11am to noon, kids can bring their instruments and play music with a real live jazz band - this week it's the Storyville Stompers Brass Band!

While you're over that way, head over to the Old U.S. Mint (400 Esplanade Avenue) for a school supply giveaway sponsored by the Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund.  From noon to 4pm, enjoy live music, food, health screenings, a performance by Mardi Gras Indians, and appearances by Dora and Elmo!  If you plan to attend, please bring a donation of canned goods for Second Harvest Food Bank.

And don't forget, Sunday is Target Free Sunday at the Louisiana Children's Museum. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

New Orleans Free and Frugal Events This Weekend

Friday through Sunday, head downtown to celebrate the 10th annual Satchmo Summer Fest!  In addition to 4 stages with live music, this free festival includes various seminars and discussions, as well as a children's area with activities such as making a second line umbrella and decorating a Zulu coconut!  The festival runs from noon to 7pm through Sunday.

Head to the Maple Street Book Shop Saturday from 11:30am to 1pm, to meet Rosemary Smith, children's book author, as she signs her book Lizzie Walks On the Wild Side. 

If art's your thing, leave the kids with a sitter and head out to the warehouse district Saturday night dressed in your stylish white linen to celebrate Whitney White Linen Night.  The party starts at 6pm with live entertainment and free admission to the art galleries in the Arts District.  If you go, remember to not wash your white linen afterwards so you'll be ready for next weekend's Dirty Linen Night on Royal Street!

Have a wonderful weekend!

What to Do on Wednesday...

It's Wednesday again - time for free admission for all to the New Orleans Museum of Art!  Tonight, enjoy a free screening of the award-winning (and the most popular Taiwanese film), Cape No. 7, at 6pm.  Also tonight, from 6-7pm, meet local woodworking artist Peg Martinez.

Wednesday also means Wednesdays on the Point in Algiers.  Tonight from 6-9pm, enjoy a free show by Amanda Shaw!

If you're a member of the Audubon Institute, head to the Aquarium of the Americas tonight from 5-8pm for SEAlebration!  Open only to Audubon members, SEAlebration will feature live music, feedings, aquarist chats, and kids' activities.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

What to Do on Wednesday...

If you're looking for something to do on Wednesday, you're in luck! 

In Algiers you'll find the latest installment of their "Wednesdays On the Point" series.  From 6-9pm head to the Dry Dock Cafe & Vine & Dine to check out Captain Josh and his tribute to Jimmy Buffet!

Wednesdays still mean free admission to the New Orleans Museum of Art.  Experience a curator-lead walk through of the exhibit "Ancestors and Descendants" from 6-6:30pm, then dance to Flowtribe while they put on a free show!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

New Orleans Free and Frugal Events This Weekend

If you find yourself looking for something to do before Bonnie arrives this weekend, here are a few things that won't break your budget.

Looking to do something to help those directly affected by the oil gush in the Gulf?  Head to Grand Isle where, in place of the annual Tarpon Rodeo, they're hosting the Island Aid Festival.  Though not a free event, the $10 admission fee will benefit the Grand Isle Alive Promotion Fund which will help Grand Isle's fishing and tourism industry that has been damaged by the oil catastrophe.  Head south to see such acts as LeAnn Rimes, Three Dog Night, Sammy Kershaw, and others!  Gates open at 10am.

Want to stay a little closer to home?  Saturday at 11am (as they do every Saturday), the New Orleans Jazz Historical Park will welcome your child and his or her instrument to play with a real jazz band as part of their "Music for All Ages" program.

Also on Saturday, the St. Charles Public Library in Luling will once again have a showing of "One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure" at 10am in the planetarium.  This show, and the 2pm showing of the Twinkle Theater are free.

Enjoy your weekend, and try to stay dry.  Keep your fingers crossed that Bonnie does as little damage as possible as she blows through the oil-slicked Gulf!

Great Lawn Grand Opening and Free LPO Concert

Wednesday evening at dusk (they're saying about 6pm - 6:30pm), head over to City Park's new Goldring/Woldenberg Great Lawn and celebrate its grand opening with a free concert by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Bring your blanket and a picnic dinner, or enjoy the concessions that will be available for sale! The LPO will also be collecting canned goods/non-perishable foods for the Second Harvest Food Bank starting at 5pm, so you can celebrate a grand opening, listen to some great music, and do a good deed for others. Enjoy!

Free New Orleans Events this Weekend

Here are a few fun and free events happening in the area this weekend:

St. Matthew the Apostle in Harahan is holding their fall fair this weekend, with great local food and music, and rides for the kids.

If you are looking to take a short road trip, head down to Houma and check out the Voice of the Wetlands festival. Festival admission is free, and the proceeds from food and beverage sales go to help save our Louisiana wetlands. Sundays lineup reads like a "Who's Who" of local music: Dr. John, Tab Benoit, Jumpin' Johnny Sansone, Anders Osborne, Monk Boudreaux, Cyril Neville, Stanton Moore, and Waylon Thibodeaux - and they're just the ones playing together as the Voice of the Wetlands Allstars! Where else but in Louisiana can you get such a treat for free?

Finally, Lowe's is again having their Build and Grow clinic for kids. Tomorrow's project is a ball toss - just in time for tailgating!

Have a great weekend and enjoy it with your family!