Special Events
Thursday
- Festival Opening Day Parade | 10AM
- Exhibit Opening: The First Piano Professors and the Lost Music of Early New Orleans | 6 PM
- Free Dance Lessons presented by French Market Corporation
- "Tierra Sagrada" Film Screening and Q&A | 2 PM
- FQF After Dark: David Shaw at House of Blues New Orleans | 9pm
Fans are invited to join festival organizers, sponsors, and partners to kick off this year’s French Quarter Fest on Thursday, at the French Quarter Festival Kickoff Parade. The parade departs from the 200 block of Bourbon Street down to St. Ann Street, where it turns and makes its way to Jackson Square for the annual Opening Day Ceremony.
Join the New Orleans Jazz Museum for the opening of The First Piano Professors and the Lost Music of Early New Orleans, an exhibition exploring the 19th-century composers who laid the groundwork for jazz and rhythm & blues. Enjoy complimentary food and live music as you experience rare sheet music, historic pianos, and newly revived works that reveal the city’s rich musical roots.
Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 6PM-9PM
New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116
Festivalgoers can learn classic dance styles throughout the weekend with free dance lessons sponsored by the French Market Corporation. Lessons will take place at both the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage and the Willow Dispensary Stage.
12:20-12:40 and 1:50-2:10 at the Willow Dispensary Stage in the Jax Brewery Lot
“Tierra Sagrada” Film Screening and Q&A with filmmaker Ned Sublette
Dive into sound, spirit, and ceremony with a FREE screening of Ned Sublette’s Tierra Sagrada, a documentary film following a powerful Afro-Cuban rhythmic journey in Havana. Featuring a post-film Q&A with filmmaker Ned Sublette.
2 – 3:30 p.m. Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St.
FREE and open to the public. No registration required.
When the festival stages close, the music continues with the FQF After Dark series. Keep the party going at iconic venues throughout the city!
House of Blues New Orleans presents David Shaw
9:00 PM – ‘TIL (doors at 8pm)
House of Blues, 225 Decatur St.
Purchase tickets here.
Friday
Festivalgoers can learn classic dance styles throughout the weekend with free dance lessons sponsored by the French Market Corporation. Lessons will take place at both the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage and the Willow Dispensary Stage.
11:00-11:30, 1:00-1:30, 3:00-3:30, and 5:05-5:30 at the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage in the French Market
12:20-12:40 and 1:50-2:10 at the Willow Dispensary Stage in the Jax Brewery Lot
When the festival stages close, the music continues with the FQF After Dark series. Keep the party going at iconic venues throughout the city!
Big Sam’s Funky Nation
Good Measure, 600 Carondelet St.
9:00 PM – 10:30 PM (doors at 8pm)
Purchase tickets here.
Saturday
- French Quarter Festival 5K presented by LCMC Health
- Free Dance Lessons presented by French Market Corporation
- Stories Behind the Sounds: Celebrate Music History at HNOC
- Patio Planters Garden Concerts at BK House
- YEAH! YOGA and B.K House Present: Flow into the Fest
- John Davis at New Orleans Jazz Museum
Kick off festival weekend with the French Quarter Festival 5K Run presented by LCMC Health. The scenic route offers participants a unique way to experience the neighborhood before the festival grounds open. Runners receive official race gear and post-race access to festival festivities.
Registration and additional race details are available at runsignup.com/fqf5k .
Festivalgoers can learn classic dance styles throughout the weekend with free dance lessons sponsored by the French Market Corporation. Lessons will take place at both the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage and the Willow Dispensary Stage.
11:00-11:30, 1:05-1:30, 3:00-3:30, and 5:05-5:30 at the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage in the French Market
12:20-12:40 and 1:50-2:10 at the Willow Dispensary Stage in the Jax Brewery Lot
Happy 100th birthday, Cosimo Matassa–engineer, producer, and architect of the New Orleans sound! American Routes host Nick Spitzer will lead special guests in conversation as they explore Cosimo’s legacy, followed by a birthday party featuring the Mahogany Blue Baby Dolls and DJ Buy It Now spinning J&M Studio hits. There will be cake!
Lecture: 1-2pm, HNOC Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street
Celebration: 2-4 pm, HNOC Helis Hall, 520 Royal St.
FREE and open to the public. No registration required.
1:00-2:15 PM- Andre’ Bohren & Harry Hardin Duo2:45-4:00 PM- Marc Paradis & John Paul Carmody
9AM- 10AM
Get loose before you let loose! $15, please bring a mat.
Start your French Quarter Fest day grounded, energized, and ready to move in BK’s beautiful ballroom. This all-levels YEAH! YOGA flow at BK House blends breath, mobility, and feel-good movement to get you loose, lit up, and festival-ready.
Learn more and purchase tickets at http://www.bkhouse.org/
Join us at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on April 18, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. for a live performance by John Davis, featuring music from the exhibition The First Piano Professors and Lost Music of New Orleans.
Sunday
- Free Dance Lessons presented by French Market Corporation
- Patio Planters Garden Concerts at BK House
- The St. Louis Cathedral Choir and Orchestra
Festivalgoers can learn classic dance styles throughout the weekend with free dance lessons sponsored by the French Market Corporation. Lessons will take place at both the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage and the Willow Dispensary Stage.
11:00-11:30, 1:00-1:30, 3:00-3:30, and 5:05-5:30 at the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage in the French Market
12:20-12:40 and 1:50-2:10 at the Willow Dispensary Stage in the Jax Brewery Lot
1:00 -2:15 PM- Elijah Hartman & His Swingin’ Friends
2:45-4:00PM- Cole Williams Trio
The St. Louis Cathedral Choir and Orchestra | Sunday, April 19th 2- 3PM