{"id":20568,"date":"2017-06-20T16:12:48","date_gmt":"2017-06-20T06:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=20568&preview=true&preview_id=20568"},"modified":"2025-03-18T03:55:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T16:55:18","slug":"new-orleans-live-music-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/new-orleans-live-music-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How to watch live music like a local in New Orleans"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first rule of New Orleans is that you always<\/em> talk about New Orleans. The southern American <\/a>city is the greatest\u00a0in the world, and every local you meet will be happy to tell you why \u2013 as well as give you a strong opinion on the best place for music, drinks, and Creole cuisine.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After living in the Big Easy for six months, I\u2019ve put together the best tried and tested advice I\u2019ve been given, broken down by area.<\/p>\n

The French Quarter<\/h3>\n
\"A

Dancing in the street. Photo by Ryan Bolton.<\/p><\/div>\n

Bourbon Street: you\u2019ll have to do it at some point, so you might as well start here. Open container laws mean you can enjoy the city with a drink in hand, so pop into a bar, grab a \u2018to go\u2019 cup of your favourite poison, and stroll down New Orleans\u2019 best known party street, where there is always something going at any time of the day or night.<\/p>\n

Most of the best music has now moved away from here with the exception of Fritzel\u2019s Jazz, which has been going strong since 1969 playing NOLA\u2019s finest jazz in an intimate setting every night of the week.<\/p>\n

EXPLORE OUR FULL RANGE OF SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES IN THE USA NOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

New Orleans\u2019 street music scene is perhaps unrivalled anywhere in the world. Bands jostle to play at the corner of Royal and St Peter streets just off the central Jackson Square, visible from most points of the city by its gorgeous cathedral. There may be many tourists here, but it\u2019s no trap: professional musicians, as well as visual and theatrical artists, make their living here on tips alone. The quality doesn\u2019t make it much of an ask, but if you see a hat going round, a dollar goes a long way for your pleasure.<\/p>\n

\"Live<\/a>

Street performers in Jackson Square. Photo by Pippa Whishaw.<\/p><\/div>\n

Frenchmen Street<\/h3>\n

The premiere street for live music in New Orleans, Frenchmen Street in Marigny is walkable from Bourbon and less chaotic, hosting a dozen or so venues in a small stretch of road \u2013 not to mention the best street bands in town. At sundown you\u2019ll find crowds gathered around the Young Fellaz Brass Band, an eight-piece group unmistakable with their giant French horn and upbeat sounds, who play on the corner of Chartres and bring an exceptional vibe night after night.<\/p>\n

When you need a bar stool to rest on, any of the clubs on Frenchmen will serve you well, but the musicians\u2019 choice is d.b.a. \u2013 which, despite being an offshoot of the famous New York club, plays some of the finest and most up-and-coming sounds of the Easy.<\/p>\n

JOIN US ON A 9-DAY ADVENTURE FROM HOUSTON TO NEW ORLEANS TO CELEBRATE THE LOUISIANA MARDI GRAS\u00a0\u2013 FULL DETAILS HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"A

A brass band getting the crowd involved. Photo by Ryan Bolton.<\/p><\/div>\n

Bywater and beyond<\/h3>\n

Over the last few years, the old working class suburb of Bywater, east of Marigny, has become the artists\u2019 quarter of New Orleans. Some of the city\u2019s most beautiful shotgun houses are here, so make an afternoon of wandering around, and head down towards the Mississippi, where Euclid Records on Chartres Street is open until 7pm each night. A music museum of sorts, you could spend hours here scratching through the LPs and posters; they also have a notice board out the front advertising the best gigs around town.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to turn more than a few corners in Bywater without finding a dive bar with a kicking jukebox, complete with a group of old-timers who will adopt you until tomorrow\u2019s hangover. Intimate venues BJ\u2019s and Vaughn\u2019s Lounge host great bands in intimate venues, perfect for enthusiasts who want to get away from the tourist crowds.<\/p>\n

Festivals<\/h3>\n

Almost every weekend, the city hosts a festival of some sort, usually centred around food and music, and featuring a live stage playing local bands throughout the day. The world-famous Mardi Gras parades usually run throughout February, while in early May, NOLA Jazz Fest brings musicians from around the world to their spiritual home for a week-long celebration. Satchmo Summerfest each August is a tribute to Louis Armstrong, and the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, timed around Halloween each year, is a three-day festival fast becoming a mecca for young people from across the South who are ready to let their hair down.<\/p>\n

READ MORE ABOUT NORTH AMERICA’S FESTIVALS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The institutions<\/h3>\n

Rebirth Brass Band is one of the city\u2019s most famous exports, but they still call New Orleans home. Founded by the Frazier brothers in 1983, when they\u2019re not touring, they\u2019re playing at the Maple Leaf in the west of the city every Tuesday night, accessible by the historic St Charles streetcar (which runs 24 hours a day).<\/p>\n

The Treme Brass Band, born out of the iconic suburb of the same name just north of the Quarter, are another must-see if your paths collide. In the daylight hours, spend some time at Treme\u2019s Backstreet Cultural Museum to understand the unique history and wonder of New Orleans\u2019 parade culture, which culminates in Mardi Gras each February. Ask nicely, and they will let you know if there are any second line parades coming up in their community.<\/p>\n

RELATED: BEYOND BOURBON STREET: 5 REASONS TO VISIT FRENCHMEN STREET<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Street<\/a>

This guy has some serious lungs on him. Photo by Pippa Whishaw.<\/p><\/div>\n

Second line<\/h3>\n

The most important thing to know when you\u2019re in New Orleans<\/a><\/strong> is that if you see a crowd, follow it! According to local custom, the ‘first line’ of a parade consists of a\u00a0band and the family or organisation hosting the party, and the ‘second line’ is for anyone to join in along the way. Second lines are the city\u2019s lifeblood; it\u2019s not unusual to be strolling through the Quarter or Treme and stumble upon a street parade with a full brass band, be it for a wedding, funeral, or an obscure local tradition. New Orleanians will welcome a stranger into any party, so jump into the procession and start dancing.<\/p>\n

Visit New Orleans on Intrepid’s Big Apple to Big Easy trip<\/a>, or check out our full range of adventures in the US of A.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Feature photo by Ryan Bolton.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Music is everywhere in the Big Easy. But where do the LOCALS go to catch a tune? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15948,"featured_media":38180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1313],"tags":[517,1585,423,69,330],"class_list":["post-20568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-festivals-2","tag-new-orleans","tag-north-america","tag-united-states","tag-usa","ipf_region-united-states"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Watch Music Like A Local In New Orleans I Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The first rule of New Orleans is that you always talk about New Orleans. 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