Researching the best time to visit New Orleans? The Big Easy’s fascinating blend of unique cultures guarantees a colorful visit any time of year, with unique food, a fantastic art scene, and festivals aplenty. That said, there’s truly nothing like New Orleans in spring, particularly in March, when all the fun kicks off in style. The city is alive in the wake of Mardi Gras, festival season is in full swing, and the sun has emerged from its downy blanket of clouds.
Also read: Mardi Gras Magic: In Conversation with a New Orleans Legend
COMFORTABLE WEATHER FOR YOUR SPRINGTIME STROLL
March is perfect for visiting New Orleans, as the weather is warm and sunny – without the stifling humidity of a gulf coast summer. As New Orleans is by and large a city made for strolling, the cooler weather is ideal. Spend your days meandering between the taverns, townhouses and art galleries, or sauntering down infamous Bourbon Street. Take a streetcar through the city, try all the eateries and street food stalls, and enjoy the gorgeous azaleas and bridal wreath blossoms that open up to decorate the streets. And that’s before you get in the swing of the outdoor festivals and street parties that burst onto the city in March. Wrap up warm in the evenings, however, as the heat of the day quickly evaporates into the star-filled sky.
A VERY FESTIVE TIME OF YEAR
With sobriquets like ‘The City that Care Forgot’ and ‘The City of Festivals’, it’s no surprise that ‘The Big Easy’ is an easy-going, carefree, party place. When considering when to visit New Orleans, many first-timers have eyes only for its world-renowned festival, Mardi Gras. However, hallowed as it is, it comes with large crowds and high prices. If you want to connect with New Orleans, away from the Mardi gras madness, then there’s no better time to visit than March.
The festival usually takes over the city in February; whenever Shrove Tuesday falls, which means by March it has typically passed, leaving the city buzzing and alive with energy in its wake. It feels vibrant and fun, but with diminished crowds. Spring is prime festival season, meaning there’s no shortage of celebrations to indulge in, with everything from literary to film, food and beer festivals and more.
Also read: Celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans
EXPERIENCE ST. PATRICK’S DAY IN NEW ORLEANIAN STYLE
If you can, make sure you’re there for the huge St. Patrick’s Day celebration, complete with cabbage tossing, dressing up, Irish coffee, and energetic parades that take over the city for the weekend closest to the holiday. New Orleans has a long history of Irish emigration, and therefore a lot of citizens with Irish ancestry call the city home. It served as a major Catholic refuge, and became a primary entry point to the USA for the Irish, as well as a welcome refuge from British persecution. There’s even a whole neighborhood named the Irish Channel, complete with plenty of Irish pubs to revel in the festivities.
LITERARY FESTIVALS TO PIQUE YOUR CURIOSITY
The Tennessee Williams Literary Festival features prominent authors, scholars, and artists, who discuss topics ranging from the creative process to literary trends and themes in panel discussions, interviews and live readings, making it a must-attend event for bookworms and theatergoers alike. Around the same time, the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival brings the community together to champion and enjoy LGBTQ+ literature. And then there’s the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, where you can enjoy fascinating panel discussions and keynote speeches from a huge lineup of notable literary names including Malcolm Gladwell, Elizabeth Alexander and Elliot Ackerman.
JAM OUT TO JAZZ ON THE STREET
A WORLD-FAMOUS FOOD SCENE
EXPERIENCE THE COUNTRY ROADS OF THE DEEP SOUTH
On our popular Country Roads of the South tour, you’ll embark on a 12-day trip through some of the region’s most iconic destinations, including Nashville, Graceland, Greenwood, Memphis, and New Orleans. Insight’s expert Travel Directors lead your tour, bringing with them an intimate knowledge of the area and a wealthy network of connections with local businesses and institutions, which they use to make your tour a truly unique, premium experience.
This is best exemplified through the Local Experts who join your tour, as well as the countless hours spent researching and planning your itinerary to provide you the best sights, sounds, and flavors the South has to offer. All the details have been taken care of, meaning you can simply relax and discover all the sights and insights of New Orleans and the American South.