A festive French Quarter home tour and caroling in the Jackson Square, say no more, we’re in!
Patio Planters of the Vieux Carré’s Holiday Home Tour, Dec. 17, Noon – 4 p.m., is a self-guided walking tour featuring seven French Quarter homes decorated for the season. Reserve your tickets now as there are a limited amount. Tickets are $35 online and $40 the day of the event.
The home tour also raises funds so the Patio Planters can host the caroling in Jackson Square (which it has been doing since 1946) on Dec. 17, 7 p.m.-8 p.m. and is free. (Gates open at 6:30 p.m.) Patio Planters members will distribute a complimentary song book and candles.
Patioplanters.net; @patioplantersvieuxcarre
Parade, Holiday Style
Santa Claus knows a good parade when he sees it, so of course he is returning to the city for a guest appearance on Dec. 2 in the Children’s Hospital New Orleans Holiday Parade, which rolls through the French Quarter and downtown, starting at 11 a.m. It’s the parade’s second year and organizers — including Kern Studios, Downtown Development District, among others — are presenting 25 holiday-themed floats, as well as more than a dozen dancing groups and marching bands. The after party, with support from Louisiana Feed Your Soul, is in Lafayette Square, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. with performances by Maggie Koerner and Trombone Shorty with members of the Trombone Shorty Academy. There will be food and beverage for sale.
Nolaholidayparade.com; Instagram: @childrenshospitalnola, @dddneworleans
Happy Birthday, Professor Longhair!
Pianist, vocalist and composer Henry Roeland «Roy» Byrd, aka Professor Longhair or “Fess,” created many of the beloved songs that are part of the New Orleans soundtrack: “Tipitina,” “Going to the Mardi Gras” and “Jambalaya,” among others. On Dec. 16, the Friends of the Cabildo will be hosting the 106th Professor Longhair Birthday Show featuring Ivan Neville at the New Orleans Jazz Museum (400 Esplanade Ave., on the third floor). Reserving tickets ahead of time is recommended, FOC members: $50, general public: $65.
Friendsofthecabildo.org; Instagram: @friendsofcabildo
Supernova’s Greenway Glow
If you see lights on Greenway Plaza and Station during Dec. 7-9, aliens have not landed (well, maybe); it is another other-worldly experience: Supernova, Friends of Lafitte Greenway’s glowing, interactive, site-specific exhibition. Ten illuminated art installations by local artists creatively meld light and sound to produce an immersive tableau for attendees, local — or perhaps, from outer space. Additional performances by musicians add to the ambiance, and there will be food and beverage for sale. While the event is free, a preview party/benefit is on Dec. 6.
Greenway Plaza and Station is where the Lafitte Greenway meets Bayou St. John. Lafittegreenway.org/supernova; Instagram: @lafittegreenway
Dew Drop Inn Returns
From 1939 to the late 1960s, the Dew Drop Inn (2836 LaSalle St.) hosted some of the most iconic Black musicians, including Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas, among others who performed and stayed there. The venue closed in 1972 and Hurricane Katrina displaced its last tenants, leaving the building empty until now, when the Dew Drop Inn’s swagger returns this winter. Real estate developer and New Orleans native Curtis Doucette Jr. has guided the restoration of this important landmark: The hotel’s 17 guest rooms (including three suites), will reflect the building’s history, with each room paying homage to a musical or cultural icon who helped shape the Dew Drop Inn. There will also be 400-plus person venue featuring musical performances.
Dewdropinnnola.com; Instagram: @dewdropinnnola
