This May in New Orleans
Photo courtesy of New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Facebook
May sits in the New Orleans climatic sweet spot. It’s sunny and you can wear shorts on most days, but it’s (usually) not super hot yet. Come evening, when the thermometer starts to dip into the 70s, the air feels something like perfect. If you’re planning a trip to New Orleans this May, find your French Quarter hotel, and check out these big events you can enjoy during your stay.
Jazz Fest
Thursday, April 24 – Sunday, May 4, 2025
The biggest music festival in the best music city in the USA is one of the marquee events of the New Orleans calendar. For the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May, the city hosts hundreds of bands and thousands of tourists, who stream into the Fair Grounds Race Course from around the world.
Dozens of food vendors will show off the best of local cuisine, while artisans create and trade Louisiana crafts. On the days between the weekends, some of the world’s great musicians will be partying (and often, playing) at gigs all around the city.
The Jazz Fest lineup is famously scheduled into “cubes” for attendees. So, find your cubes, and enjoy yourself!
Bayou Boogaloo
Friday, May 16 – Sunday, May 18, 2025
The Bayou Boogaloo has become as much a fixture on the festival calendar as its Mid-City neighbor, Jazz Fest, and the city’s street-party season opener, French Quarter Fest. What started as a gathering of a few hundred festival diehards has grown into an event that attracts tens of thousands of guests.
Its bucolic setting as a floating party, with its flotillas of inflatables, paddle boats and kayaks, gives the three-day festival its own unique character, while its stellar lineup of local and visiting musical artists rivals those offered by its much bigger older siblings. So does its ever-growing menu of fest-worthy food and drink.
New Orleans Greek Festival
May 23-25, 2025
New Orleans Greek Festival returns on Memorial Day weekend to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral (1200 Robert E. Lee Blvd.). As usual, expect great Hellenic music, traditional dancing, cathedral tours, ouzo, Greek wines and Greek coffee, plus, of course, the food. Oh, the food. Souvlaki, baklava, dolma (stuffed grape leaves), spanakopita (spinach pie), and gyro sandwiches (pita bread pockets stuffed with lamb, pork and zesty sauce), and more. The fest is kid-friendly, and is held both indoors and outdoors.
LGBTLOL Queer Comedy Fest
May 29 – June 1, 2025
Kick off Pride Month at the LGBTLOL Queer Comedy Fest. The lineup will feature queer-identifying comedians from around the world. Check the event’s website for details.
More May Events
Although not specific to New Orleans, there are a few events you can celebrate here with gusto. Grab a margarita at one of our many wonderful restaurants on Cinco de Mayo (Monday, May 5, 2025), celebrate Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 11, 2025) by booking brunch at one of the many elegant eateries, or visit The National World War II Museum to honor the Memorial Day (Monday, May 26, 2025).
Coming to New Orleans in May?
Check out our guide to where to stay in the French Quarter, and be sure to check out our resource for French Quarter Hotels. Also, consider booking a guided tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 to experience the hauntingly beautiful past of New Orleans.
For easy, informative sightseeing, we recommend the City Sightseeing New Orleans city tour on the open-top, double-decker bus. It runs every 30 minutes through the Garden District, French Quarter, and CBD. You can hop on and off anytime!
Happy May!
