| Visit Gay New Orleans |
| Festivals |
My favorite hotels in New Orleans are that of the Marriott properties. Some of the best views of the city are from the Marriott New Orleans on Canal. It's on the edge of the famed French Quarter and right along the Canal streetcar line. It is undergoing an $86 million renovation, so you'll be staying in NEW rooms. Another one of the top hotels is just across the street at the JW Marriott, it's the ultimate luxury experience. Also along the streetcar path and just steps from the quarter the JW Marriott promises a stay you won't forget. Downstairs at the JW Marriott you'll find Shula's steakhouse.
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What began as a simple going-away party 36 years ago has evolved into one of New
Orleans’ premier annual events: Southern Decadence. Held annually over Labor Day
weekend, this celebration of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender culture has begun
attracting as many as 100,000 participants from all over the world in recent years.
Nicknamed the “Gay Mardi Gras,” Southern Decadence is one of those quintessential New
Orleans occasions in which participants get to strut their stuff in elaborate costumes and
high fashion. Ground Zero for the action is in the French Quarter around the intersection of
Bourbon and St. Ann streets. A number of gay bars and dance clubs in the immediate
vicinity provide nonstop music, dancing and prancing over the entire duration of the event.
Outdoor concerts on the closed-off streets also add to the weekend’s festivities, as do
stage shows in the individual clubs.
One of the highlights of each year’s Southern Decadence is the annual parade that rolls on
the Sunday before Labor Day. The Grand Marshal, chosen every May, leads the marchers
and their floats through the streets to the delight of appreciative crowds all along the
parade route.
Weekend passes to some of the special events are available and advance purchase is
strongly recommended. They guarantee admission, save money and allow you to avoid
general admission lines. Advance hotel reservations are strongly suggested, as well.
Orleans’ premier annual events: Southern Decadence. Held annually over Labor Day
weekend, this celebration of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender culture has begun
attracting as many as 100,000 participants from all over the world in recent years.
Nicknamed the “Gay Mardi Gras,” Southern Decadence is one of those quintessential New
Orleans occasions in which participants get to strut their stuff in elaborate costumes and
high fashion. Ground Zero for the action is in the French Quarter around the intersection of
Bourbon and St. Ann streets. A number of gay bars and dance clubs in the immediate
vicinity provide nonstop music, dancing and prancing over the entire duration of the event.
Outdoor concerts on the closed-off streets also add to the weekend’s festivities, as do
stage shows in the individual clubs.
One of the highlights of each year’s Southern Decadence is the annual parade that rolls on
the Sunday before Labor Day. The Grand Marshal, chosen every May, leads the marchers
and their floats through the streets to the delight of appreciative crowds all along the
parade route.
Weekend passes to some of the special events are available and advance purchase is
strongly recommended. They guarantee admission, save money and allow you to avoid
general admission lines. Advance hotel reservations are strongly suggested, as well.
Southern Decadence Wednesday, August 29 thru Monday, September 3
Conceived of as an extension of the annual GLBT Festival of Southern Decadence, held
during the Labor Day weekend, DecaFest is a week-long series of cultural offerings that tie
into the overall theme of fostering gay pride. “Culture, conversation and fundraising for
financially-stressed gay organizations, all with heaping side dishes of fun, food and
socializing,” is the way one writer described it.
DecaFest’s varied offerings include theater, film, tours, heritage, and community. Films and
live stage productions will feature new works as well as those previously produced, all open
to the public. There will also be guided tours of the cemeteries and historic sites of New
Orleans, including those that have figured prominently in the gay rights movement. Also at
DecaFest, new and emerging writers are given an opportunity to premiere their latest
original works.
Most importantly, however, DecaFest helps to raise funds for charitable organizations
aimed at benefiting members of the GLBT community. Chief among these benefits is the
NO/AIDS Task Force, whose fundraising efforts were seriously impacted by the hurricane
and its aftermath. A percentage of ticket revenues to DecaFest events is donated to groups
such as the NO/AIDS Task Force and others dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS through
education and treatment.
On its website, DecaFest notes that it is an occasion “to cherish and strengthen community”
and “to give notice that the LGBT community is here to stay, is committed to the future, and
is determined to be a vital player in the rebuilding of our city.”
during the Labor Day weekend, DecaFest is a week-long series of cultural offerings that tie
into the overall theme of fostering gay pride. “Culture, conversation and fundraising for
financially-stressed gay organizations, all with heaping side dishes of fun, food and
socializing,” is the way one writer described it.
DecaFest’s varied offerings include theater, film, tours, heritage, and community. Films and
live stage productions will feature new works as well as those previously produced, all open
to the public. There will also be guided tours of the cemeteries and historic sites of New
Orleans, including those that have figured prominently in the gay rights movement. Also at
DecaFest, new and emerging writers are given an opportunity to premiere their latest
original works.
Most importantly, however, DecaFest helps to raise funds for charitable organizations
aimed at benefiting members of the GLBT community. Chief among these benefits is the
NO/AIDS Task Force, whose fundraising efforts were seriously impacted by the hurricane
and its aftermath. A percentage of ticket revenues to DecaFest events is donated to groups
such as the NO/AIDS Task Force and others dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS through
education and treatment.
On its website, DecaFest notes that it is an occasion “to cherish and strengthen community”
and “to give notice that the LGBT community is here to stay, is committed to the future, and
is determined to be a vital player in the rebuilding of our city.”
Halloween has been called New Orleans’ second Mardi Gras, and the October holiday fits
right into the city’s culture. With New Orleans’ above-ground cemeteries called “Cities of the
Dead,” its voodoo and vampire lore, and the ghosts that some imagine to inhabit the
French Quarter, the atmosphere is perfect. Then, add to the bubbling cauldron a fresh
opportunity for residents to costume and have a party in the streets, and Halloween
becomes quite a big deal in New Orleans. Each year, more and more tourists are making a
special trip to participate in New Orleans’ Halloween fun, and gay and lesbian travelers
have long been leaders of this trend.
New Orleanians in general love to costume, but the areas of the French Quarter where the
gay bars are concentrated, especially around Bourbon and St. Ann Streets, have some of
the most eye-popping costumes in the city. Another area to gawk is on Frenchmen Street,
just outside of the Quarter in the Marigny. Those who try to get in the spirit by simply
throwing on a wacky hat or cheap mask will feel severely underdressed. The stakes are
high in costume contests with some gay clubs offering as much as $500 for a first place
prize.
Events at gay bars and clubs may change year to year, but there’s always tons going on
with even normally sedate venues booking revues, DJs, and special parties. Pick up an
Ambush, the city’s free GLBT publication, for event listings geared toward a gay crowd, or
check out the magazine online. One constant is the weekend-long circuit party put on by an
organization called Halloween in New Orleans that benefits Project Lazarus, a hospice for
people living with HIV/AIDS.
Although not specifically geared toward a gay audience like the Lazarus event, the Voodoo
Music Experience is another big draw for Halloween weekend. Several stages set up in City
Park host rock bands all Saturday and Sunday. Big-name headliners always close out the
night’s show.
Even if October 31 falls during the week, it’s still the biggest night of the Halloween season
regardless of work obligations or the big events of the previous weekend. After all, Mardi
Gras falls on a Tuesday each year, but everyone in New Orleans still turns out to have a
good time.
right into the city’s culture. With New Orleans’ above-ground cemeteries called “Cities of the
Dead,” its voodoo and vampire lore, and the ghosts that some imagine to inhabit the
French Quarter, the atmosphere is perfect. Then, add to the bubbling cauldron a fresh
opportunity for residents to costume and have a party in the streets, and Halloween
becomes quite a big deal in New Orleans. Each year, more and more tourists are making a
special trip to participate in New Orleans’ Halloween fun, and gay and lesbian travelers
have long been leaders of this trend.
New Orleanians in general love to costume, but the areas of the French Quarter where the
gay bars are concentrated, especially around Bourbon and St. Ann Streets, have some of
the most eye-popping costumes in the city. Another area to gawk is on Frenchmen Street,
just outside of the Quarter in the Marigny. Those who try to get in the spirit by simply
throwing on a wacky hat or cheap mask will feel severely underdressed. The stakes are
high in costume contests with some gay clubs offering as much as $500 for a first place
prize.
Events at gay bars and clubs may change year to year, but there’s always tons going on
with even normally sedate venues booking revues, DJs, and special parties. Pick up an
Ambush, the city’s free GLBT publication, for event listings geared toward a gay crowd, or
check out the magazine online. One constant is the weekend-long circuit party put on by an
organization called Halloween in New Orleans that benefits Project Lazarus, a hospice for
people living with HIV/AIDS.
Although not specifically geared toward a gay audience like the Lazarus event, the Voodoo
Music Experience is another big draw for Halloween weekend. Several stages set up in City
Park host rock bands all Saturday and Sunday. Big-name headliners always close out the
night’s show.
Even if October 31 falls during the week, it’s still the biggest night of the Halloween season
regardless of work obligations or the big events of the previous weekend. After all, Mardi
Gras falls on a Tuesday each year, but everyone in New Orleans still turns out to have a
good time.
It has been called “the most famous drag-queen contest in America” and it has been going
on for more than four decades. What started out as a one-time novelty to help promote a
French Quarter hamburger joint evolved into one of the major events of each Mardi Gras.
In the mid-1960s, Arthur Jacobs, former owner of the Clover Grill at the corner of Bourbon
and Dumaine streets, conceived of the idea of a Mardi Gras costume contest to help lure
people – especially tourists – to his restaurant. He only envisioned holding the contest for
one year, but the idea caught on and has mushroomed in popularity over the years. Held in
a variety of French Quarter locations, the contest is now staged at the corner of Bourbon
and St. Ann streets, in the heart of the city’s gay and lesbian district.
Dozens of men in colorful, elaborate – often flamboyant – costumes compete for top honors
each year for what are now known as the Bourbon Street Awards. Participants and
spectators alike come to the contest from all over the world and are rewarded with a flashy
spectacle that often defies the imagination. Participants compete in the following
categories: Best Drag, Best Leather, Best Group and Best of Show. First, Second and
Third place prizes will be awarded in each category. Celebrity hostesses (in drag, of
course) serve as emcees for the contest and awards ceremonies. The contest is held every
year on Mardi Gras Day, rain or shine.
on for more than four decades. What started out as a one-time novelty to help promote a
French Quarter hamburger joint evolved into one of the major events of each Mardi Gras.
In the mid-1960s, Arthur Jacobs, former owner of the Clover Grill at the corner of Bourbon
and Dumaine streets, conceived of the idea of a Mardi Gras costume contest to help lure
people – especially tourists – to his restaurant. He only envisioned holding the contest for
one year, but the idea caught on and has mushroomed in popularity over the years. Held in
a variety of French Quarter locations, the contest is now staged at the corner of Bourbon
and St. Ann streets, in the heart of the city’s gay and lesbian district.
Dozens of men in colorful, elaborate – often flamboyant – costumes compete for top honors
each year for what are now known as the Bourbon Street Awards. Participants and
spectators alike come to the contest from all over the world and are rewarded with a flashy
spectacle that often defies the imagination. Participants compete in the following
categories: Best Drag, Best Leather, Best Group and Best of Show. First, Second and
Third place prizes will be awarded in each category. Celebrity hostesses (in drag, of
course) serve as emcees for the contest and awards ceremonies. The contest is held every
year on Mardi Gras Day, rain or shine.
