New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park

05/28/2026

We are proud an excited to announce that our French Quarter visitor center courtyard is now officially a Gold Level Louisiana Certified Habitat, with over 80 native plant species!

To learn more about our native plant garden, please join us for a special talk on Friday morning, May 29.

📍 Location: 419 Decatur St, New Orlans, LA 70130

📅 Friday, May 29th
• 10:00–10:45 am — Explore the Native Plants of the Courtyard with Cheryl Geiger
Join Cheryl Geiger of Secret Garden Landscapes LLC to explore the species collection in our courtyard pollinator garden. Learn about native plants and how easy it can be to plant and care for them. As lagniappe, take a native plant home to start your own native garden.

https://ow.ly/CG8i50Z5mk5


New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

05/28/2026

The tall ships have started to arrive in New Orleans! They will all be here by this afternoon, Thursday, May 28th and we’ve got lots of programs happening at our French Quarter visitor center. So come out to see the tall ships and stop in to our visitor center for some history and great music!

📍 Location: 419 Decatur St, New Orlans, LA 70130

📅 Thursday, May 28th
• 10:00–10:40 am — Ranger Talk: “The Founding of New Orleans
• 11:00 am–12:00 noon — Jazz Concert with Saskia Says!
• 1:00–2:00 pm —Concert with the Silver Swan Ragtime Ensemble
• 3:00–4:00 pm —Jazz Concert with the Benjamin Cousins Duo

📅 Friday, May 29th
• 10:00–10:45 am — Explore the Native Plants of the Courtyard with Cheryl Geiger
• 11:00am–12:00 noon — Concert by the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve Band
• 1:00–2:00 pm — Concert by the Navy Band Southeast
• 3:00–4:00 pm — Contemporary Jazz Concert by the Maude Caillat Project

📅 Saturday, May 30th
• 10:30–11:30 am — Drum Circle with Wesley Phillips
• 12:00–1:00 pm — Jazz Piano Hour with Sam Kuslan
• 3:00–4:00 pm — Traditional New Orleans Jazz Concert with the Don Vappie Trio

Come learn, enjoy, and celebrate with us!
Check our calendar for all our event listings:
https://www.nps.gov/jazz/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

You can find out more about the tall ships in New Orleans at: https://sail250neworleans.com/

Photo Credits:
Upper left-NPS Photo.
Upper right- Navy Band Southeast page.
Lower left- Eliot Kamenitz.
Lower right-US Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Edward Spears.

05/18/2026

In April we were honored to present a two-day celebration of the 50th anniversary of the American Folklife Center. The Center is at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

Traditional artists and culture bearers from southern Louisiana shared the living cultural traditions preserved in the Center’s collections. For two days our French Quarter visitor center was filled with music, food, and stories.

This blog post from the American Folklife Center will give a good feel for the event:
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2026/05/laissez-les-bons-temps-rouler-the-american-folklife-center-down-in-the-french-quarter/?loclr=eaftb

We don’t have these kinds of celebrations every day, but we do always have a variety of programming happening at our park sites. Check our calendar for all our event listings:
https://www.nps.gov/jazz/index.htm

Photo Credit: Louis Michot and Swamp Magic performance at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park on April 14, 2026. Photo by Andrea Decker.

05/13/2026

Please join us for a special event on Saturday, May 16, at our French Quarter Visitor Center, 419 Decatur St, New Orleans.

We are excited to be presenting a showing of the new documentary film “Ancestral Artistry: The Influence of Africans & Creoles of Color on Louisiana Architecture.” You will also have an opportunity to speak with members of the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild.

10:00 am – 12:00 pm – New Orleans Master Crafts Guild Tabling.
Members of the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild, including Jonn Hankins, Founder/Executive Director NOMCG; Jeff Poree, Master Plasterer; Darryl Reeves, Master Blacksmith; and Karina Roca, 5-year Blacksmith Apprentice will have tables in the visitor center and be available to discuss their work. There will be hands-on activities for visitors.

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm – “Ancestral Artistry: The Influence of Africans & Creoles of Color in Louisiana Architecture” Documentary Film.
Following the one-hour film there will be time for questions and answers with members of the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild

“Ancestral Artistry” explores a powerful yet often overlooked legacy. Produced by the Louisiana Architecture Foundation (LAF), this documentary traces 300 years of building traditions brought by enslaved Africans to French colonial Louisiana—crafts like carpentry, masonry, ironwork, and plastering that shaped the region’s iconic architecture. Passed down through generations, these trades empowered Louisiana’s Creoles of Color, offering wealth and social mobility in a time of widespread racial inequality.

The film connects the past to the present through master craftsmen Jeff Poree, Darryl Reeves, and the late Teddy Pierre, who are working to preserve these endangered traditions and mentor the next generation. Ancestral Artistry is both a celebration and a call to action—to honor this heritage before it fades.

This screening is made possible thanks to a partnership with the Louisiana Architecture Foundation and the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild.

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. Seating for the film is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors for the film will open approximately 5 minutes before the program start time.

Photo Credit: Louisiana Architecture Foundation

04/16/2026

April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Of course, here at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, we appreciate jazz music every day. But we do have some extra programs happening this week.

We are proud to sponsor a stage as part of the French Quarter Festival. Here in our courtyard at 419 Decatur St, New Orleans, we will have two full days of New Orleans music:

Saturday, April 18
11:00 am – 12:00 pm – Congo Square Preservation Society
12:15 – 1:15 pm – Jamil Sharif Quartet
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Shake Em Up Jazz Band
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm – Young Tuxedo Brass Band
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Saskia Walker Big Band

Sunday, April 19
11:00 am – 12:00 pm – Craig Klein’s New Orleans Allstars
12:15 – 1:15 pm – Matt Lemmler presents “New Orleans in Stride”
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Crescent City Sisters
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm – Louis Ford & His New Orleans Flairs
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Arrowhead Jazz Band led by Ranger Jade Perdue (vocals) with guests Mark Brooks (bass), Geovane Santos (guitar), Thomas Glass (drums), and Jordan Bush (piano)

Join us for the music. And when you need a break from the heat, check out our exhibits about south Louisiana’s people and cultures inside our visitor center.

Remember that we are open Tuesday through Saturday and we have ranger talks and live music events every day that we are open. Check out our full calendar of events at: https://www.nps.gov/jazz/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

02/12/2026

It’s Carnival Time (and Valentine’s Day) and everybody’s having fun!

It’s a busy season in New Orleans, and our French Quarter Visitor Center is open regular hours this week, 9:30am to 4:30 pm, through Saturday.
And we’ve got a great line up of free programs:

Friday, February 13:
10:00 am – Ranger Talk
11:00 am – Concert by the Navy Band Southeast
1:00 pm – Talk about King Cakes: Little says Mardi Gras more than king cake., but most folks don't realize just how far Carnival season's favorite sweet has come. Matt Haines, the author of The Big Book of King Cake and The Little Book of King Cake will guide us back in time, from the cake's unexpected origins in ancient Rome all the way to its continuing evolution through the modern day.
3:00 pm – Performance by Voices Reclaimed: Celebrating Black Composers. Embark on a journey through classical music history with “Voices Reclaimed,” a program dedicated to unveiling hidden gems of the genre. Experience a curated and interactive concert spotlighting overlooked yet remarkable Black composers, their unique musical narratives, and cultural legacies.

Saturday, February 14:
10:00 am – Ranger Talk
10:30 am - Drum Circle with Ausettua AmorAmenkum. Join us for an interactive drum & dance circle as we honor those who came before us. Play drums and learn about our cultural history and the legacy of Congo Square in New Orleans.
3:00 pm – Performance by the Leroy Jones Trio. Trumpeter Leroy Jones has embodied the spirit of New Orleans traditional jazz for over fifty years. His musicianship and dedication to forwarding the traditional jazz genre has won him an enthusiastic following around the world and induction into the New Orleans Jazz Hall of Fame at home.

For our full program schedule, please visit our calendar at: https://www.nps.gov/jazz/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

Please note our French Quarter Visitor Center will be closed for Mardi Gras on Tuesday, February 17.
We will reopen for regular operations on Wednesday, February 18.

Photo credit: Carol M. Highsmith, from the Library of Congress, Carol M. Highsmith Archive
Alt Text: Masked riders on a Mardi Gras float shaped like an alligator.

01/30/2026

Here at New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, we are grieving along with the New Orleans musical community, the passing of Michael Skinkus.

Michael was a master percussionist and an ethnomusicologist. More than that, Michael brought passion and joy to all his gigs.

He played with so many musicians in New Orleans and has been a part of performances at New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park for 25 years. He regularly played concerts here, and frequently led our drum circles, where his passion for New Orleans music and its roots was undeniable.

He will be missed by all of us.

Photo credit: Eliot Kamenitz
Alt text: a photo of Michael Skinkus playing congas with singer Margie Perez and a guitar player in our park’s performance space.

12/31/2025

On January 1, 2026, the Jean Lafitte NHP&P and the New Orleans Jazz NHP Visitor Centers will be closed for New Year's Day. Outdoor areas that are normally open this time of year will be available as usual. This includes the grounds of the Chalmette Battlefield and the Chalmette National Cemetery. Trails at Barataria Preserve will remain open. We will resume regular operations on Friday, January 2. Happy New Year!
Please check our park website for more information and event calendars:

Discover the roots of jazz at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. Located in the heart of the French Quarter, our park offers live performances, exhibits, and programs that celebrate the legacy of America's unique musical art form. Immerse yourself in the vibrant history and culture of ja...

12/24/2025

On December 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026, the Jean Lafitte NHP&P and the New Orleans Jazz NHP Visitor Centers will be closed for the holidays. Outdoor areas that are normally open this time of year will be available as usual. This includes the grounds of the Chalmette Battlefield and the Chalmette National Cemetery. Trails at Barataria Preserve will remain open. Please check our park websites for more information and event calendars.

Discover the roots of jazz at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. Located in the heart of the French Quarter, our park offers live performances, exhibits, and programs that celebrate the legacy of America's unique musical art form. Immerse yourself in the vibrant history and culture of ja...

12/04/2025

Burst pipe update: our French Quarter Visitor Center (419 Decatur Street) will be open tomorrow. However, our scheduled programs and performances will be located down the street at 916 North Peters Street (Dutch Alley, near the French Market) through next Tuesday, December 9.