NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Young Leadership Council (YLC) has announced the dates for a fall half-series of the beloved YLC Wednesday at the Square concert series. YLC will host a half-season with four concerts, scheduled for Oct. 20, Oct. 27, Nov. 3, and Nov. 10, 2021, pending approval from the City of New Orleans. Nov. 17, is being reserved as a rain date. The concerts will take place at Lafayette Square in downtown New Orleans from 5 – 8 p.m. The band lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.
YLC continues its partnership with Title Sponsor, AOS Interior Environments, for the 2021 YLC Wednesday at the Square fall series. AOS is the largest design-assist provider of commercial furnishings, manufactured interior construction, storage solutions and installation and service in Louisiana and Mississippi, and has been serving the region for more than 44 years.
“Music is one of the most profound forces that has shaped our city and defined who we are as a community,” says Shelby Russ, CEO of AOS Interior Environments. “After the events of the past year, equal uninhibited access to music should never be taken for granted again. We are honored to support the Young Leadership Council in bringing back free live music back to Lafayette Square. WATS not only plays an important economic role in reigniting our Downtown Development District, but it also plays a critical cultural role in reminding us what it means to love New Orleans.”
YLC prepares this special, four-week concert series with a renewed understanding in the economic impact it has on the Poydras Street corridor and in New Orleans. “The last 16 months have shown us how critical YLC Wednesday at the Square is not only to YLC but to economic activity in the Central Business District,” says Lindsey Jakiel Diulus, YLC Executive Director. “In order for New Orleans to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to understand our impact on the local economy. Every attendee at the Square is supporting restaurant pop-ups and food trucks, independent artists, designers, and entrepreneurs, musicians, and gig workers. Your participation in our beloved series financially supports the arts and culture that New Orleans is famous for.”
The 2020 concert series was one of the first events impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first concert for the season, featuring Flow Tribe with Dave Jordan and the NIA, was scheduled the day after the city rolled out shutdowns. In a proactive measure, the YLC Board of Directors and Executive Director cancelled the remaining nine concerts amidst growing public health concerns. The cancellation of YLC Wednesday on the Square left the nonprofit, in addition to many musicians, gig workers, artists, and restaurateurs, with a significant loss in income.
To coincide with its return to Lafayette Square, YLC has unveiled a new, dedicated website for YLC Wednesday at the Square at www.ylcwats.com. You can keep up with the series on Facebook at @WednesdayAtTheSquare, and on Twitter and Instagram at @ylcwats. Information YLC and its civic engagement and community projects is available at www.ylcnola.org
