Welcome
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
From antiqueneworleans.com
NEW ORLEANS TRICENTENNIAL
As one of the world’s most unique and diverse cities, New Orleans will celebrate with our citizens and open our doors to the world to share our rich history and culture. During the Tricentennial we will celebrate our past accomplishments, the resilience of our people and set the course for our future.
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CELEBRATION IN THE OAKS
1 Palm Drive, New Orleans, LA 70124 | P: (504) 482-4888
This special, month-long light show in City Park hosts hundreds of thousands of colorful lights and illuminated outdoor displays to showcase the holiday season in New Orleans. An annual tradition that began in the late 1980s, Celebration in the Oaks is a family-friendly event that only happens after dark. Over the years it has become one of the most beautiful and popular holiday lighting displays in the country, attracting hundreds of thousands of people annually.
Celebration in the Oaks opens every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving and closes January 3rd.
During this glittering extravaganza, festive lights and colorful, imaginative holiday decorations are strung across City Park’s centuries-old live oak trees and elsewhere throughout the section of the park closest to the major attractions, including Storyland, the Botanical Gardens and the Carousel Gardens amusement ride area. Children and their parents are invited to take a two-mile ride on the miniature train that circles the park, passing underneath lit-up holiday displays and other special effects.
Points of Interest
Visitors are treated to a wide range of attractions, from light displays to the walkways lined with dozens of Christmas trees decorated by local school groups. Perennial favorites include the animated “Cajun Night Before Christmas” display and the “Who Dat Tree,” imaginatively adorned in New Orleans Saints black and gold and related football themes. Another favorite is New Orleans’ iconic snowman, Mr. Bingle, a holiday character beloved by generations of New Orleanians when he adorned the window of the old D.H. Holmes department store on Canal Street during the holiday season.
In Carousel Gardens, you can ride beautiful hand-carved flying horses on the same historic Carousel that New Orleanians have been enjoying for over 100 years. Or delight in breathtaking views of the park, its holiday lights, and the New Orleans skyline from the ferris wheel. There are more than a dozen rides to enjoy, as well as nightly entertainment and a full-service café.
Preview Parties
This year there will be 3 different Preview Parties for a sneak peak to view the traditions you know and love and find out what is new before everyone else! As one of the premier parties of the holiday season, the general Preview Party is held November 20th, to kick off the annual lights display. Guests get the first glimpse of the lights, complete with local food, live music, and adult beverages. A Family Preview Party will be held November 22nd for an exclusive preview that the whole family will enjoy! For the young and young at heart, a Jingle Bells & Beer Preview Party will be held November 21st featuring craft beer, local food vendors, and live music! Tickets for the Preview Parties can be purchased here.
Getting There
Those who arrive by private vehicles will find ample parking on-site to make seeing New Orleans Christmas lights easy. The Celebration in the Oaks tour can only be taken on foot; vehicles are no longer allowed to drive through it. Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday, 6:00-10:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 6:00-11:00 p.m. (closed December 1-4, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve).
Tickets
There is a small admission charge for Celebration in the Oaks and children under three are admitted free. Rides are each charged separately and money-saving unlimited ride wristbands can be purchased. You can avoid lines by purchasing tickets ahead of time to see these spectacular Christmas lights in New Orleans at this link. You’ll need to print your online tickets and bring them with you.
GrayLine Tours offers transportation packages that include express admission to Celebration in the Oaks and other park attractions. Buses depart at 6pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from Dec 5-22 and Dec 26-29 from their French Quarter ticket office at the foot of Toulouse St. on the Mississippi River. More information is available here
For more information on Celebration in the Oaks, call 504-483-9415, email info@celebrationintheoaks.com or visit their website, www.celebrationintheoaks.com.
Celebration in the Oaks opens every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving and closes January 3rd.
During this glittering extravaganza, festive lights and colorful, imaginative holiday decorations are strung across City Park’s centuries-old live oak trees and elsewhere throughout the section of the park closest to the major attractions, including Storyland, the Botanical Gardens and the Carousel Gardens amusement ride area. Children and their parents are invited to take a two-mile ride on the miniature train that circles the park, passing underneath lit-up holiday displays and other special effects.
Points of Interest
Visitors are treated to a wide range of attractions, from light displays to the walkways lined with dozens of Christmas trees decorated by local school groups. Perennial favorites include the animated “Cajun Night Before Christmas” display and the “Who Dat Tree,” imaginatively adorned in New Orleans Saints black and gold and related football themes. Another favorite is New Orleans’ iconic snowman, Mr. Bingle, a holiday character beloved by generations of New Orleanians when he adorned the window of the old D.H. Holmes department store on Canal Street during the holiday season.
In Carousel Gardens, you can ride beautiful hand-carved flying horses on the same historic Carousel that New Orleanians have been enjoying for over 100 years. Or delight in breathtaking views of the park, its holiday lights, and the New Orleans skyline from the ferris wheel. There are more than a dozen rides to enjoy, as well as nightly entertainment and a full-service café.
Preview Parties
This year there will be 3 different Preview Parties for a sneak peak to view the traditions you know and love and find out what is new before everyone else! As one of the premier parties of the holiday season, the general Preview Party is held November 20th, to kick off the annual lights display. Guests get the first glimpse of the lights, complete with local food, live music, and adult beverages. A Family Preview Party will be held November 22nd for an exclusive preview that the whole family will enjoy! For the young and young at heart, a Jingle Bells & Beer Preview Party will be held November 21st featuring craft beer, local food vendors, and live music! Tickets for the Preview Parties can be purchased here.
Getting There
Those who arrive by private vehicles will find ample parking on-site to make seeing New Orleans Christmas lights easy. The Celebration in the Oaks tour can only be taken on foot; vehicles are no longer allowed to drive through it. Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday, 6:00-10:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 6:00-11:00 p.m. (closed December 1-4, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve).
Tickets
There is a small admission charge for Celebration in the Oaks and children under three are admitted free. Rides are each charged separately and money-saving unlimited ride wristbands can be purchased. You can avoid lines by purchasing tickets ahead of time to see these spectacular Christmas lights in New Orleans at this link. You’ll need to print your online tickets and bring them with you.
GrayLine Tours offers transportation packages that include express admission to Celebration in the Oaks and other park attractions. Buses depart at 6pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from Dec 5-22 and Dec 26-29 from their French Quarter ticket office at the foot of Toulouse St. on the Mississippi River. More information is available here
For more information on Celebration in the Oaks, call 504-483-9415, email info@celebrationintheoaks.com or visit their website, www.celebrationintheoaks.com.
CAROLING IN JACKSON SQUARE
700 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70116 | P: (888) 756-6250
Since 1946, Christmas Carolers have gathered in Jackson Square to spread holiday cheer. On December 16th, the square will be filled with Christmas songs and candle lights. Thousands of people gather in festive attire and of all religious affiliations.
The event is free and open to all who wish to participate. Candles and song sheets are provided, courtesy of Patio Planters, the event’s major sponsor. A nonprofit group dedicated to the horticultural beautification of the French Quarter, Patio Planters helps fund the event through monies raised by its Vieux Carre holiday home tours earlier on the same day.
The gates to Jackson Square open at 6:30 p.m. and the caroling begins at 7:00. Those who plan to attend and participate are strongly advised to arrive early. This is a very popular event that sometimes exceeds the capacity of the square.
The event is free and open to all who wish to participate. Candles and song sheets are provided, courtesy of Patio Planters, the event’s major sponsor. A nonprofit group dedicated to the horticultural beautification of the French Quarter, Patio Planters helps fund the event through monies raised by its Vieux Carre holiday home tours earlier on the same day.
The gates to Jackson Square open at 6:30 p.m. and the caroling begins at 7:00. Those who plan to attend and participate are strongly advised to arrive early. This is a very popular event that sometimes exceeds the capacity of the square.
CHRISTMAS EVE BONFIRES ON THE LEVEE
Gramercy, LA 70052
There are many colorfully imaginative traditions dating back to the earliest Cajun settlers of the regions of southern Louisiana to the west and north of New Orleans. One of them is the lighting of the bonfires along the Mississippi River on Christmas Eve.
These bonfires, erected on the river levees by the keepers of this old tradition, are intended to light the way for “Papa Noël,” the Cajun Santa Claus, on his airborne journey to the area. Or, according to some sources, the bonfires may have also been a way of lighting the path to the nearest Catholic church for Midnight Mass.
The earliest bonfires on the levees were relatively simple in design and assembly, with long logs arranged into a pyramid-shaped cone, some as high as twenty feet. Shorter horizontal logs holding the structure in place gave it a ladder-like appearance. Most of today’s bonfires still incorporate that design, but more imaginative creations have since evolved. Some of the most elaborate structures resemble old Cajun cabins, pickup trucks and other indigenous cultural motifs.
At dusk, usually around 7:00 p.m., the structures are doused with flammable liquids and set ablaze, lighting the sky and the surrounding area with towering flames that would be impossible for Papa Noël and his reindeer to miss. The crowds that gather to watch these spectacular conflagrations enjoy a free show and, in some locales, free bowls of hot gumbo are served up by local residents. The blazes are often accompanied by displays of fireworks, set off by the fires themselves.
These Christmas Eve bonfires are most commonly found in St. James Parish (county), some 30-40 miles upriver from New Orleans. As many as 100 or more bonfires may be erected in the adjoining communities of Gramercy, Lutcher and Paulina, and more may be scattered in other locations in St. James and neighboring parishes.
The fire departments in these locales supervise the activity around the bonfires on the levees, maintaining a safe perimeter for the crowds while keeping vigil to make sure the fires stay under control. Unfavorable weather can force cancellation or postponement of the bonfires, but this has happened only once in recent memory – in 1982.
Private vehicular traffic in the areas of heaviest bonfire concentration may be restricted or even banned. Special parking lots are set up within comfortable walking distance of some of those areas. However, traffic leading up to those areas can be heavy, especially within the last few hours before the bonfires are lit. An early arrival is strongly encouraged.
One of the best ways to ensure “a good seat” for a bonfire on the levee is to book a narrated motor coach excursion with Gray Line Tours. Two options are available: the four-hour Christmas Eve Bonfire Express, which only includes the bonfires, and the 6½-hour Christmas Eve Bonfire Adventure Tour, which includes a tour of San Francisco Plantation and a holiday dinner there.
Both tours originate and terminate at the Gray Line Lighthouse ticket office located at Toulouse Street and the Mississippi River, adjacent to the steamboat Natchez wharf. Reservations are recommended 24 hours in advance. Call (504) 569-1401 or (800) 233-2628 or visit their website, www.graylineneworleans.com/holiday-tours.html for further details.
For those who prefer to “stay home” and watch a bonfire here in New Orleans, the Algiers Economic Development Foundation sponsors one annually, early in December on the levee in Algiers Point. The site is on the west bank of New Orleans, near a bend in the river directly opposite the French Quarter. It can be viewed from the Moonwalk adjacent to Woldenberg Riverfront Park or from Algiers Point itself. The Canal Street-Algiers Point Ferry carries passengers from downtown New Orleans to the vicinity of the bonfire site.
The AEDF website and Algiers Bonfire website contain details and photos about the organization and event. The tradition takes place in early December. and features live music, a second line, and the bonfire lighting.
These bonfires, erected on the river levees by the keepers of this old tradition, are intended to light the way for “Papa Noël,” the Cajun Santa Claus, on his airborne journey to the area. Or, according to some sources, the bonfires may have also been a way of lighting the path to the nearest Catholic church for Midnight Mass.
The earliest bonfires on the levees were relatively simple in design and assembly, with long logs arranged into a pyramid-shaped cone, some as high as twenty feet. Shorter horizontal logs holding the structure in place gave it a ladder-like appearance. Most of today’s bonfires still incorporate that design, but more imaginative creations have since evolved. Some of the most elaborate structures resemble old Cajun cabins, pickup trucks and other indigenous cultural motifs.
At dusk, usually around 7:00 p.m., the structures are doused with flammable liquids and set ablaze, lighting the sky and the surrounding area with towering flames that would be impossible for Papa Noël and his reindeer to miss. The crowds that gather to watch these spectacular conflagrations enjoy a free show and, in some locales, free bowls of hot gumbo are served up by local residents. The blazes are often accompanied by displays of fireworks, set off by the fires themselves.
These Christmas Eve bonfires are most commonly found in St. James Parish (county), some 30-40 miles upriver from New Orleans. As many as 100 or more bonfires may be erected in the adjoining communities of Gramercy, Lutcher and Paulina, and more may be scattered in other locations in St. James and neighboring parishes.
The fire departments in these locales supervise the activity around the bonfires on the levees, maintaining a safe perimeter for the crowds while keeping vigil to make sure the fires stay under control. Unfavorable weather can force cancellation or postponement of the bonfires, but this has happened only once in recent memory – in 1982.
Private vehicular traffic in the areas of heaviest bonfire concentration may be restricted or even banned. Special parking lots are set up within comfortable walking distance of some of those areas. However, traffic leading up to those areas can be heavy, especially within the last few hours before the bonfires are lit. An early arrival is strongly encouraged.
One of the best ways to ensure “a good seat” for a bonfire on the levee is to book a narrated motor coach excursion with Gray Line Tours. Two options are available: the four-hour Christmas Eve Bonfire Express, which only includes the bonfires, and the 6½-hour Christmas Eve Bonfire Adventure Tour, which includes a tour of San Francisco Plantation and a holiday dinner there.
Both tours originate and terminate at the Gray Line Lighthouse ticket office located at Toulouse Street and the Mississippi River, adjacent to the steamboat Natchez wharf. Reservations are recommended 24 hours in advance. Call (504) 569-1401 or (800) 233-2628 or visit their website, www.graylineneworleans.com/holiday-tours.html for further details.
For those who prefer to “stay home” and watch a bonfire here in New Orleans, the Algiers Economic Development Foundation sponsors one annually, early in December on the levee in Algiers Point. The site is on the west bank of New Orleans, near a bend in the river directly opposite the French Quarter. It can be viewed from the Moonwalk adjacent to Woldenberg Riverfront Park or from Algiers Point itself. The Canal Street-Algiers Point Ferry carries passengers from downtown New Orleans to the vicinity of the bonfire site.
The AEDF website and Algiers Bonfire website contain details and photos about the organization and event. The tradition takes place in early December. and features live music, a second line, and the bonfire lighting.