By: Karen Brem, Marketing Director, Historic Mardi Gras Inn
(LGBTQ+ Proudly Owned & Operated)
Coming Soon!!!
Oh honey, cancel your plans, reschedule your colonoscopy, and ghost your toxic situationship—because the first weekend of the 2025 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is coming in HOT and I’m not just talkin’ about the gumbo. April 24-27 is set to blow your wigs back, and yes, I’m already gluing mine down in preparation.
This isn’t just your meemaw’s music fest. This is New Orleans, darling. And the headliners for Weekend One are as legendary and deliciously chaotic as a Bourbon Street bachelorette party. Let me give you the rundown before you embarrass yourself by showing up late or sober:
🎤 THURSDAY, APRIL 24: Lil Wayne & The Roots
Yes, you read that right. Wheezy F. Baby meets the legendary Roots crew? Somebody call FEMA, ‘cause that stage is about to catch fire.
Our local prodigy Lil Wayne is comin’ home with his diamonds, dreadlocks, and decades of hits like “A Milli,” “Lollipop,” and “6 Foot 7 Foot.” Pair that with The Roots, hip-hop royalty and live-band gods known for “You Got Me” and being Jimmy Fallon’s way cooler coworkers, and baby, we’re gettin’ a show that’ll vibrate the Fair Grounds clear into the Marigny.
🎸 FRIDAY, APRIL 25: Dave Matthews Band
Yes, it’s time to tie that hemp bracelet tight, crack open a craft beer, and get ready to sway your soul. The Dave Matthews Band is taking over with their chill jams, sax solos, and 10-minute detours of pure musical ecstasy.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan of “Crash Into Me” or just here for the “Ants Marching” nostalgia, prepare to cry, sway, and maybe rethink your last text to your ex. DMB fans are loyal, loud, and definitely wearing Chacos.
🎹 SATURDAY, APRIL 26: Harry Connick Jr.
Our handsome hometown crooner is here to jazz you up and knock you out (politely, with charm). Mr. Harry Connick Jr., the Sinatra of the South, will seduce the crowd with classics like “It Had to Be You” and “Come By Me.”
He’s smooth, he’s classy, and if your panties don’t drop at his piano solo, check your pulse, sugar. Plus, he’s a New Orleans native, so you know he’ll show up, show out, and remind you why we breed ‘em fine down here.
🎤 SUNDAY, APRIL 27: Kacey Musgraves & John Fogerty
Yes, ma’am—Sunday’s a double-header and you better hydrate now.
Kacey Musgraves, country’s favorite disco ball, is floating in on a rhinestone-studded cloud to sing “Follow Your Arrow,” “Rainbow,” and “Slow Burn.” She’s got glitter in her lungs and a Grammy in her purse, and trust me, gays and cowgirls alike will be unwell by the second verse.
Then we pivot straight into John Fogerty, legendary frontman of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Get ready for “Bad Moon Rising,” “Fortunate Son,” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”—because this man invented swamp rock and he’s bringing the thunder. Bring your uncles, your weed gummies, and your appreciation for men who still rock harder than TikTok stars.
🌐 Wanna Know More?
Peep the full lineup, times, and stage breakdowns at www.nojazzfest.com. The Cubes are live, the headliners are locked, and your excuses are invalid.
🏨 So Where You Sleepin’, Darling?
Let me set you straight (figuratively—this blog is VERY gay):
The Historic Mardi Gras Inn is now proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated, baby, and we’ve just had a full hotel-wide glow-up that would make RuPaul weep tears of joy. Think clean, affordable accommodations with a warm, welcoming staff who will treat you like family—chosen family, the kind that actually likes each other.
We’re located just one block outside the French Quarter, which means:
- Jazz Fest ends at 7pm, but you? You’re just getting started.
- Food, booze, burlesque, and all the beautiful chaos that makes New Orleans extra spicy is just outside your door.
- Not ready to call it a night? You can stumble home in glittered bliss or hop a streetcar just a two-minute walk from our front door.
So let me ask you: Why book a long weekend?
Because this is not the kind of festival you “pop into.” It’s the kind you immerse yourself in—face first—with a daiquiri in hand and your dignity nowhere in sight.
🎷Final Note from Ya Girl
Come for the music, stay for the madness, and let the Historic Mardi Gras Inn be your funky little home base while the city shows you how we throw down. Whether you’re a music nerd, food snob, drag fan, or just someone who likes to get rowdy with rhythm, Jazz Fest 2025 is your cue to come THROUGH.
Book your long weekend now, sugarplum. You don’t wanna be the sad soul refreshing StubHub in your office cubicle while the rest of us are second-lining into the sunset. FOR INFORMATION ON ACCOMMODATIONS CALL US DIRECTLY AT 504.949.5815 OR 1.800.209.9408. YOU MAY ALSO VISIT US ONLINE AT historicmardigras.com.
See you at the Fair Grounds—and at the afterparty. 😉