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| New Orleans (Updated November 2009) |
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 How can I experience New Orleans’ cultural celebrations and festivals this season? |
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 Visiting New Orleans, you can find something thrilling and unforgettable nearly every day. Whether it’s a great opportunity to sample our exceptional cuisine or a music festival you seek, New Orleans offers celebrations to suit everyone.
Join us in celebrating Christmas New Orleans Style, a month long celebration of the season that hosts events that are uniquely New Orleans. Throughout December, there are various festivities such as Celebration in the Oaks, a lights show that fills the oak trees of City Park or the carolers who meet in Jackson Square to sing their yuletide greetings throughout the French Quarter.
As soon as the holiday season ends, Mardi Gras season begins. January 6, 2010, is the official kick-off of Carnival Season with the Twelfth Night. During this time, New Orleans celebrates the weeks leading up to Lent with king cakes, masquerade balls and plenty of parades, offering onlookers the chance to stock up on beads and catch a glimpse of the king and queen of the krewe. Mardi Gras ends on Fat Tuesday, which this year falls on February 16.
Other festivals during this time include the Words and Music Festival (November 19-22) honoring author William Faulkner, the New Orleans Po-boy festival (November 22), DesCours (December 8-13), and several other events. Spring time doesn’t slow down as New Orleans anticipates a jam-packed calendar with a few of the world’s most famous festivals. The annual French Quarter Festival (April 9-11), the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell (April 23-May 2) and the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (May 25-29) all contribute to the essence and spirit of New Orleans.
Traveling to New Orleans offers great values on hotels, restaurants and attractions. Coupons and more information on festivals are always available at www.neworleanscvb.com. |
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| I have not visited New Orleans in a few years. What can I expect? |
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There has never been a better time to visit New Orleans, for business or pleasure. The French Quarter is cleaner than ever before, we have a fresher hotel product, more restaurants, millions of dollars in improvements to the Convention Center and Superdome, and better hospitality, blended with the same culturally authentic, sensory experience visitors have loved for decades.
We have successfully hosted millions of visitors for major events, such as Saints and Hornets games, Southern Decadence Festival, ESSENCE Festival,,French Quarter Festival, Jazz Fest, the Zurich Classic, Mardi Gras, State Farm Bayou Classic and major conventions. New Orleans continues to host a series of major city-wide conventions and world-renowned music and cultural festivals, welcoming millions of visitors. |
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| What is the media reporting about New Orleans as a visitor destination? |
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•New Orleans was ranked number one in ten categories in Travel + Leisure Magazine’s 2009 “America’s Favorite Cities” survey, more than any of the other 30 popular travel destinations in the survey. Most notably, the city was named the best city in the country for nightlife, receiving a number one ranking in all three nightlife subcategories: Cocktail Hour, Singles Bar Scene, and Live Music, Concerts, and Bands.
•New Orleans was recently ranked number one in a poll conducted by the Society of American Travel Writers as one of the “Top 10” North American cities for live music. SATW is the world’s largest organization of professional travel journalists and photographers.
•New Orleans was honored as one of the top-five cities to market itself via Twitter, in New York-based Development Counsellors International’s “Tweet Elite” survey.
•New Orleans was voted number seven in the “Top 25 Cities and Towns with the Best American Values,” by Newsmax Magazine.
•New Orleans was selected as the “Best Domestic Business City” by Global Traveler Magazine and 31,457 of the publication’s surveyed travelers.
•125,000 surveyors named New Orleans the best city for dining and live music in Headline News and Travel + Leisure Magazine’s annual “America’s Favorite Cities” survey.
• In August 2008, New Orleans was recognized by Travel Age West with an Editor’s Pick for “Best U. S. City for an Urban Vacation.”
• On July 1, 2008, Yellow Tail wines announced New Orleans was voted by online surveyors as “America’s Most Sparkling City.”
• New Orleans was honored as one of the best U.S. cities for gay travel by the 2008 PlanetOut Travel Awards in May of 2008.
• In April 2008, millions of travelers chose New Orleans for TripAdvisor’s “2008 Travelers’ Choice Destinations Award” in the categories of Top 100 World and Top 25 United States.
• New Orleans was chosen as one of the top 10 places to go in 2008 by Sherman’s Travel.
• StudentUniverse.com, an online travel agency specializing in trips for college students, chose New Orleans as one of its top 10 domestic spring break destinations of 2008. |
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| What are my hotel choices? |
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There are more than 34,700 hotel rooms available in New Orleans, including small boutique treasures in the French Quarter, charming bed and breakfast properties, major downtown hotel towers and much more. Thanks to city-wide hotel refurbishments and upgrades, New Orleans has one of the freshest hotel products of any major city. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on hotel upgrades and renovations in the metro New Orleans area.
The Hilton Hotels Corporation has restored the The Roosevelt, as part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection™, which opened in July. The new hotel has 504 rooms, of which 135 are luxury suites, state-of-the-art meeting and convention rooms and a 12,000-square-foot, world-class spa and fitness center. |
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| What are my restaurant choices? |
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| New Orleans’ restaurant industry hit a new milestone when the city opened its 1,000th restaurant. According to Tom Fitzmorris and www.nomenu.com, there are 1,033 restaurants open in New Orleans today, a new city record. Visit www.neworleanscvb.com for a full list of restaurants. |
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| What are my options for shopping? |
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| Our shops and boutiques––from the French Quarter to Magazine Street––offer the finest and most eclectic shopping options in the United States. Options include The Shops at Canal Place, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Riverwalk, Jax Brewery, as well as hundreds of boutiques, art galleries and antique stores throughout the city. Tax-free shopping is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2009, offering international visitors even more reasons to experience New Orleans shopping. |
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| What are my options for attractions and museums? |
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The New Orleans Museum of Art will present Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio, a major exhibition featuring more than 600 original artworks that shaped legendary animated features including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The exhibit begins November 15, 2009, and ends March 14, 2010.
Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio also will include artwork from the upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios musical, The Princess and The Frog, an animated comedy from the creators of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, set in New Orleans and due for release Christmas 2009.
The first phase of The National World War II Museum’s The Road to Victory capital campaign opened November 6, 2009.
The newest complex features the Victory Theater, a 4-D cinematic experience, The Stage Door Canteen, a dining and entertainment venue, and The American Sector, a Chef John Besh Restaurant with cuisine inspired by the Home Front. Tom Hanks and Patricia Clarkson were among the celebrities to attend the grand opening events. Future additional phases will include a Campaigns Pavilion, the Liberation Pavilion and additional themed gallery pavilions. The $300 million expansion will quadruple the size of the existing facility and will be completed in phases by 2015.
The Mahalia Jackson Theater re-opened on January 8, 2009, after a $27 million renovation. The building now includes a state-of-the-art sound system, a new orchestra shell and enhanced lighting, and is the home to several musical and theatrical performances as well as world-renowned art exhibits.
The city of New Orleans and the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts is proud to add Broadway theater to its list of spectacular performances. The theater announced in July of 2009 that it will host “Broadway Across America—New Orleans.” The season kicked-off with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats on October 27 and will continues with Wicked, The Color Purple and Mamma Mia! The season will finish in June of 2010 with Avenue Q.
While the arts scene is exploding and our galleries are among the finest in North America, there are also many cultural attractions, such as: plantation homes, riverboat cruises, tour options, Café Du Monde, Louisiana State Museums, New Orleans Historic Collection, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Audubon Zoo, Harrah’s Casino and its entertainment-filled Fulton Street Promenade, New Orleans Museum of Art, Bestoff Sculpture Garden, City Park, the Botanical Gardens, Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots, Contemporary Arts Center, Louisiana Children’s Museum, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Orleans Ballet, Audubon Insectarium, Southern Food and Beverage Museum, Museum of the American Cocktail, The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Blane Kern’s Mardi Gras World and much more. |
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| What are my options for family activities? |
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| New Orleans is rich in family attractions, including the Aquarium of the Americas, Audubon Zoo, Audubon Insectarium, Louisiana State Museum, the Children’s Museum and much more. There also are many tours, ranging from walking tours of the French Quarter to swamp, cemetery and ghost tours. |
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| Will it be difficult to get flights to and from New Orleans? |
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There are plenty of flights into New Orleans! As of November, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport offers 123 flights serving 34 cities.
The Louis Armstrong International Airport is undergoing a $350 million renovation. The airport terminal interior improvements include upgrading signs and lighting on Loop Road, which is substantially complete. Also, improvements will be made to the first and second level facades along the curbside beginning in late 2009. Terminal interior improvements include upgrades to the flight information display system, restroom renovations and renovations to the terminal area.
According to the Louis Armstrong International Airport, on October 6, 2009, AirTran began nonstop flights from Baltimore/Washington Airport to New Orleans.
Aeromexico began six weekly nonstop international flights from Mexico City, marking the first international flight to New Orleans since 2005.
The New Orleans CVB and the Armstrong International Airport continue to work with national airlines to ensure that groups with large numbers of arrivals can travel to and from the city in a convenient and timely fashion. Through dialogue with the airlines, additional flights have been added and larger planes have been used when extra airlift is needed for a particular event.
In addition to these efforts, Louis Armstrong International Airport has been busy adding new international flights, making several enhancements to its facility and celebrating growth in passenger service.
Airlines operating out of the Armstrong International Airport include: Aeromexico, AirTran, American Airlines, Continental, Delta Air Lines, Jet Blue Airlines, Northwest, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and U.S. Airways. |
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| What type of events does New Orleans offer sports enthusiasts? |
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New Orleans’ line-up of sporting events and sports venues are sure to live up to every fan’s expectations. The city is home to several sports teams showcasing premier events in football, basketball, baseball and soccer including the Saints, Hornets, Zephyrs and the Jesters, New Orleans’ soccer team. The state of Louisiana, “known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise,” is also renowned for its fishing and hunting hot spots.
New Orleans will host several events in the next few years, including:
•2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four
•2012 BCS National Championship
•2013 NCAA Women’s Final Four
•2013 Super Bowl
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has committed to New Orleans through the 2014 bowl season while R+L Carriers has signed a contract to host the New Orleans Bowl through 2011.
New Orleans recently hosted major events including:
•2008 NBA All-Star Game
•2008 BCS National Championship
•2008 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
•2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl
As host to such events, sporting venues are undergoing renovations and improvements. The majority of these slated upgrades will take place Jan. 2011 - June 2011. They will include:
•New Sideline Seating
The sideline seats on the Plaza Level will be completely replaced, moving patrons closer to the action, with improved sightlines. The new seating units will include an addition of approximately 3,100 seats.
•Expanded Plaza Concourse
At key points on the east and west sides, the Dome’s Plaza Level concourse will be widened from 18 feet to 60 feet. This will provide better access, additional food service areas, restrooms and specialty stands. The new concourse will also have updated flooring, lighting, murals, color scheme and signage.
•New Premium Club Lounges
Located under the East and West sides of the new Plaza Level stands, these new premium clubs will feature private entry access directly from the parking garage, an upscale environment for private events, and high-end amenities such as: a fixed bar, lounge & table seating, television monitors and private restrooms.
•Additional 300 Level Suites
The Press Box will be relocated to the Terrace Level at the 50-yard line. New luxury suites will be added on the 300 level where the Press Box is currently located.
•Party Deck at Gate A (Endzone)
A private party deck will be added to the Endzone at Gate A on the Plaza Level.
Winning the Super Bowl bid for 2013, among a variety of other big-named sporting events, also gives valuable impetus to the development of the area between the Superdome and the central business corridor. The Benson family has announced plans to purchase the 26-story Dominion Tower and a cooperative agreement with the State for development of a Plaza Festival area on the adjacent property. The result will be revitalization of an area important to the city’s economy while enhancing the game day experience for sports fans. This new Sports Development Complex will include the following:
•Outdoor Festival Plaza
This will be a 70,000 sq. ft. space located from the expansion of Gate C Bridge of the Superdome through the existing New Orleans Centre atrium and mall ending at the current, existing portechere of the Hyatt hotel. This space will be used for public and private special events. This facility will be managed by the Louisiana Sports and Exposition District (LSED)
•Dominion Tower
The Benson family has taken ownership of the Dominion Tower and will lease the facility to State Officials for office space. |
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| What are my options for taxis, airport shuttles, buses and streetcars? |
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There are thousands of taxis available on New Orleans streets and at major hotels. Taxi rates are $4.50 plus $1.60 per mile (.20 per one-eighth mile) thereafter. There is also an additional charge of $1.00 per passenger after the first passenger.
During peak visitor times (including Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest) taxi rates are $4 per person or the meter rate, whichever is greater. A fixed rate of $33 (one to two people) is charged from the airport to most areas of New Orleans. For parties of more than two, the fare is $14 per person.
RTA services are $1.25, including bus transportation and the streetcar. Twenty-nine bus lines are running, providing 34,000 rides daily. Bus service allows transportation throughout the city’s major corridor, extending from the Faubourg Marigny to Riverbend.
Airport Shuttle, Inc. is the official ground transportation for Armstrong International Airport, with service to and from New Orleans’ hotels and other designated locations. Fare is $20 per person one way and a discounted $38 per person round trip is now available. |
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| Does Amtrak service New Orleans? |
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| Yes. The City of New Orleans train is running to Memphis and Chicago, while the Crescent runs to Atlanta, Greensboro, Washington D.C. and New York. The Sunset Limited runs to San Antonio and Los Angeles. |
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| What are my options for cruises? |
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New Orleans is a city filled with festivals and cultural activities, leaving plenty of pre- and post-cruise options for cruisers docked at the Crescent City’s port.
The Norwegian Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruise Lines are currently sailing from New Orleans and both cruise lines continue to commit to the city through renovations to their ships and contract extensions.
Norwegian Cruise Lines announced in April 2009 that the cruise line will commit one ship to New Orleans through 2014. In 2008, The Norwegian Spirit also underwent a multi-million dollar refurbishment in November 2008 before settling in New Orleans, the ship’s homeport for the winter season. A few of the renovations included new wallpaper, curtains and carpet, as well as an upgraded spa and fitness center.
Carnival Cruise Lines replaced its cruise ship, the Fantasy, with a larger ship, the Triumph on November 10, 2009. The Triumph will provide passengers with four, five and seven day cruises and will carry 50,000 more passengers a year. |
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| What's new at the Convention Center? |
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Following a well-received response to a $60 million makeover in 2006, the New Orleans Morial Convention Center recently completed another round of upgrades to the revered facility. Over $7 million in improvements include: extensive landscaping, new digital large-screen audio/video information systems and furniture pods in the pre-function areas.
The New Orleans Morial Convention Center has had $20 million in renovations underway in 2008 and in 2009, with plans for millions more dollars to be invested into the building in 2010. Physical improvements include an expanded wireless infrastructure of 10 gigabyte, making it one of most technologically advanced convention centers in the U.S., as well as aesthetic improvements such as furniture pods, i-Coves, a new sense of arrival at the main entrance and beautiful New Orleans artwork/photography throughout the building.
In addition to physical enhancements, the Center has also instituted an ambassador program dubbed “Fleur de Lis.” Attired in unmistakable purple blazers, Fleur de Lis will greet convention goers at every entrance in traditional New Orleans style.
The Center continues to host a full 2009 line-up, with 84 major conventions, tradeshows and events bringing nearly 667,000 attendees to the city. In the first quarter of 2009, the Center welcomed Professional Convention Management Association’s Annual Convention––a testament to the confidence the meeting industry has in New Orleans. |
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| What are the New Orleans CVB and the city of New Orleans doing to be environmentally friendly? |
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Call it green, call it sustainability, but being environmentally savvy is not a trend. It's an important business practice that's here to stay. That’s why New Orleans is one of many destinations working to become more environmentally friendly.
New Orleans is proud to announce the first annual Project 30-90 music festival September 5. This environmentally-friendly festival features an array of environmental devices and tactics, along with a great lineup of bands. Convention delegates can easily join the locals and visitors at the concert, which is within walking distance from the New Orleans Morial Convention Center.
The Morial Convention Center is one of the largest convention centers in the nation with 1.1 million square feet of contiguous exhibit space. Imagine the environmentally-friendly practices that can be implemented in a building that is over one mile long and host to some of the nation’s largest conventions and exhibits.
So far, the New Orleans Morial Convention Center and its partner ARAMARK have many green programs underway. A few practices the New Orleans Morial Convention Center is adopting into their daily practices are water conservation, energy conservation, waste reduction and clean air practices.
Even New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration is going green. Kern Studios, the largest producer of Carnival floats, reduced the impact on the environment by using biodiesel in the tractors pulling floats along the parade routes in 2008.
In addition, Hotard, one of the area’s leading providers of motor coach transportation, is switching to a greener fleet. The company has begun to introduce new motor coach models that cut particulate matter, black smoke, by 90 percent. The company is investigating additional ways that it can go green, including the use of bio-diesel fuel.
Airport Shuttle New Orleans, the official airport transportation provider for the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, is going green with all-new clean burning propane hybrid vehicles. Propane is now being used in all of Airport Shuttle’s 13 new vehicles, thanks to a new technology that enabled the conversion of existing engines to a propane hybrid.
Many hotels are implementing green practices as well. Other tips for travelers are available at www.neworleanscvb.com. |
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| What major convention groups has New Orleans recently hosted? |
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• New Orleans hosted six consecutive city-wide conventions in July and July including the American Diabetes Association, SP Richards, the CLEAN Show, Society for Human Resource Management, ESSENCE Music Festival and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
• More than 37,000 visitors packed the city for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America convention July 22-26, the largest convention New Orleans has seen in 20 years. This astronomical number of attendees reflects their enthusiasm to volunteer their time and serve the city. They worked on several construction and landscaping projects, hosted a health fair, held five book fairs with the Jefferson Parish School District and donated school supplies to children throughout the area. ELCA clocked in 250,000 hours of community service.
• The Microsoft Worldwide Partners Conference brought thousands of Microsoft partners, industry experts and exhibitors to New Orleans July 13-16. The conference covered groundbreaking products, strategies and technologies from Microsoft.
• The week of April 2-9 proved to be a busy week for New Orleans’ convention industry. During this time, the city hosted several major conventions including the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, American Mosquito Control Association, National Afterschool Association, the New Orleans Dental Conference and PyrateCon, all in all bringing tens of thousands of convention-goers to the city in seven days.
• Thousands in the golf and club management industry visited New Orleans for Golf Course Superintendants Association of America, Club Managers Association and National Golf Course Owners hosted the 2009 Golf Industry Show February 5-10.
• The National Automobile Dealers Association convened in New Orleans on January 24-27, 2009, to discuss the latest trends in the auto industry and address the unprecedented issues their industry is facing.
• The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) visited New Orleans on January 11-14, 2009. PCMA, also known as the "Super Bowl" of the convention and meetings industry, brought more than 3,000 of the top decision-makers and meeting professionals who make over $40 billion of meeting commitments annually.
• The International WorkBoat Show came to New Orleans on December 3-5, 2008, and brought approximately 14,000 attendees. The event was also held in 2006 and 2007 and has announced its plans to return to New Orleans in 2009.
• New Orleans hosted the 2008 Starbucks Leadership Conference on October 26-30, 2008. The conference marked the first time in history that Starbucks hosted this gathering outside of its headquarter city.
• SNM (Society of Nuclear Medicine) met in New Orleans on June 14-18, 2008, with record attendance of 6,300, which exceeded normal levels of 4,000.
• Corporate America is re-discovering New Orleans as a meeting destination, bringing new, shorter-term meetings business to the city in 2008. Starbucks, Shaklee, McAlister’s Deli and many others have been drawn to New Orleans for the wealth of “voluntourism” community service opportunities available to expand corporate philanthropic efforts. (For example: Habitat for Humanity projects are being added to corporate meeting agendas.) |
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| What groups are holding meetings in New Orleans in 2009? |
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Event/Date
Professional Convention Management Association/Jan. 11-14
American Fence Association/Jan. 14-16
National Automobile Dealers Association/Jan. 24-27
American Society for Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition/Feb. 1-4
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America/Feb.2-7
Helen Brett Enterprises/Feb. 14-17
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association/ Feb. 11-16
National Science Teachers Association/March 19-22
True Value Company/ March 27-29
Association of Fundraising Professionals/March 29-April 1
National Afterschool Association/April 2-4
National Association of Elementary School Principals/April 2-6
Lifeway Christian Resources/April 3-4
New Orleans Dental Conference/April 2-4
American Mosquito Control Association/April 5-9
Federation of American Societies/Experimental Biology/April 18-22
Sourcemedia Conferences & Events/May 4-7
Direct Marketing Association/April 6-8
Helen Brett Enterprises/May 16-19
Association of Legal Administrators/May 18-21
American Diabetes Association/June 5-9
Southern Forest Products Association/June 9-10
World Educational Congress for Laundering & Dry Cleaning/June 18-21
Society for Human Resource Management/June 28-July 1
Louisiana Restaurant Association/July 18-20
Helen Brett Enterprises/Aug. 21-26
National Black MBA Association Inc./Sept.23-24
Society of Petroleum Engineers/Oct.4-7
Specialty Graphic Imaging Association/Oct.7-9
American Society of Anesthesiologists/Oct. 17-21
National Community of Pharmacists Association/Oct. 17-21
Congress of Neurological Surgeons/Oct. 24-29
American Association of Blood Banks/Oct. 24-27
National Minority Supplier Development Council/Oct. 24-28
Helen Brett Enterprises/Oct. 30-Nov. 4
U.S. Department of Environmental Protection Agency/Nov. 15-17
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association/Nov. 19-21
Diversified Business Communications/Dec. 2-4
American Society of Hematology/Dec. 5-8 |
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| Is New Orleans a safe place for visitors? |
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Yes. No other city in the world manages special events, crowd control and visitor safety as well as New Orleans.
Visitors to our city should expect:
oVisible police presence in tourist and convention areas by uniformed officers on foot, in patrol cars and on horseback
oUndercover police presence in tourist and convention areas by plain-clothed officers
oStrategically placed “sky towers” for major events
oProfessional, courteous police officers in tourist and convention areas are ready to assist you
oMore officers being added to the NOPD thanks to a police recruiting campaign to attract the best and brightest talent
The city welcomes millions of visitors per year, and is world renowned for the safe and successful management of major tourism events such as the 2008 NBA All Star Game, Jazz and Heritage Festival (375,000 people), Mardi Gras (800,000-1 million people), Essence Festival, professional and college football championship games, conferences and business events ranging from a 10-person corporate board meeting to large association city-wide conventions with tens of thousands of attendees from around the world.
The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) works closely with the business community, political leaders, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro to make New Orleans a safe, quality place to live, work and visit.
In addition, the New Orleans CVB informs the top leadership of the NOPD of the complete convention schedule so they may provide added protection in visitor areas.
Crime exists in all major cities. In New Orleans, 99 percent of violent crime is targeted criminal-on-criminal drug and retaliation acts which occur in inner-city neighborhoods, not in popular tourist areas.
As with any destination, we recommend that vacationers and convention attendees practice common sense and do not wander into deserted, non-tourist areas of the city.
New Orleans remains a national treasure and we want everyone who visits it to have a safe and enjoyable time. |
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| How has the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau prepared for hurricane season? |
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The New Orleans CVB Tourism Crisis Management Plan, along with diligent and thorough preparation with an emphasis on safety, will assist visitors in responding appropriately to emergencies. The City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana have implemented a unified emergency communications plan to ensure the timely flow of information across the region in emergency situations. A comprehensive and effective city-wide emergency communications plan for the Greater New Orleans tourism industry has been developed for visitors.
New Orleans' tourism community proved to be exceptionally well prepared for Hurricane Gustav. The evacuation of some 30,000 visitors to the city Labor Day Weekend in less than 24 hours went well and almost flawlessly followed the emergency plan established after Hurricane Katrina. The city received positive national media coverage for its preparedness and the outstanding leadership of government officials. Today, New Orleans is proud to not only be the nation's leader in fun, food, music and major cultural and sporting events, but now to be the most sophisticated destination in the world in all levels of emergency planning, execution and visitor management.
According to the Army Corps of Engineers, all needed repairs to levees and floodwalls were completed prior to hurricane season 2006. The Corps is driving to provide 100-year protection for hurricane season 2011. Other system improvements include safe houses in Jefferson Parish; strengthened transitions and armored floodwalls; repair to non-federal pump stations; and storm proofing of existing interior drainage pump stations in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes.
Inner Harbor Navigation Canal levees and floodwalls were improved and strengthened; Gulf Intracoastal Waterway earthen levees were raised; grass was planted along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet to prevent erosion; and pumps were placed at three outfall canals for a total pumping capacity of about 16,000 cubic feet per second. The Corps and the state of Louisiana are also studying higher levels of protection as well as ecosystem restoration. |
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| What are my options should I need medical care while visiting? |
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Hospitals convenient to tourist areas are:
• Touro Infirmary, 1404 Foucher St., 504-897-7011, www.touro.com
• Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, 1415 Tulane Ave., 504-988-5800, www.tuhc.com
• Ochsner Clinic Foundation and Hospital, 1514 Jefferson Highway, 800-874-8984, www.ochsner.org/frontpage/default.htm
• Children’s Hospital, 200 Henry Clay Ave., 504-899-9511, www.chnola.org
• Ochsner Baptist Medical Center, 2700 Napoleon Ave., 866-624-7637, www.ochsner.org/locations/baptist/
Additionally, the New Orleans Urgent Care facility recently opened at 900 Magazine Street, www.neworleansurgentcare.com/services.asp, 504-552-433. Located a few blocks from the Convention Center, the facility is able to treat symptoms such as headaches, fever, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, neck and back pain, cuts and scrapes, bites and boils, allergies, colds, broken bones, stomach pain, sprains and strains. |
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| What options are available to volunteer to help a neighborhood that was affected by Hurricane Katrina? |
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| From convention visitors to leisure travelers, church groups to high school and college students, people have shown incredible generosity in giving of their time and talent, and a great deal of elbow grease, helping the city of New Orleans in its recovery and restoration. The office of Lt.Governor has formed an official organization that matches volunteer opportunities with volunteers, called Volunteer Louisiana. Visit www.volunteerlouisiana.gov to get started. |
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| Mardi Gras |
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| How is the Success of Mardi Gras measured? |
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| Before the age of recycling, the success of Mardi Gras in Orleans Parish was sometimes jokingly measured by the amount of trash collected by the New Orleans Sanitation Department. However, the success of Mardi Gras is truly measured by the estimated number of attendees to parades, which in 2009 was approximately one million. |
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| Is Mardi Gras Really Connected to Religion? |
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| Yes. The Catholic Church licensed Carnival, which means "farewell to flesh," as a period of feasting before the fasting of Lent. The Church also established the set date for the start of the Carnival season -- January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany -- and the fluctuating date of Mardi Gras. |
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| How Do I Get to be King? |
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| The method of selecting Mardi Gras royalty varies from krewe to krewe, but most choose a king among krewe members or celebrities. The King of Carnival is chosen by the inner circle of the School of Design, the sponsoring organization for the Rex parade. Some krewes hold random drawings to pick their king or queen. Most clubs charge the selected monarch a fee to reign. In several of the newer krewes, elaborate ceremonies called "coronation balls" are staged to crown their royalty. |
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| Is Mardi Gras Elitist? |
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| Not any more. While wealthy white males once controlled Carnival (and most of America), Mardi Gras is one of the nation's most diverse institutions and it offers a rich cultural experience to participants and spectators. |
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| What is the story of the umbrella? |
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| The Story of the Umbrella dates back to around 1830, when the black community sang slow spirituals behind a funeral. After the burial the umbrellas were brought out and twirled to lively music, signaling that the soul of the deceased was now in heaven and happiness prevailed. We now use umbrellas for all occasions, from weddings to sporting events. Source: Everything N'Awlins, 2003 |
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| Why Does the Date of Mardi Gras Change? |
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| Because it's connected to the moveable date of Easter, which can fall on any Sunday from March 23 to April 25. Mardi Gras is scheduled 47 days preceding Easter and can occur on any Tuesday from February 3 through March 9. |
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| When Was the First Mardi Gras Parade Held in New Orleans? |
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| On February 24, 1857. The Mistick Krewe of Comus, Carnival's first secret society, coined the word "krewe" and was the first to choose a mythological namesake, to present a themed parade with floats, and to follow it with a tableaux ball. |
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| Is it True Mobile Celebrated Mardi Gras before New Orleans? |
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| Yes and no. New Orleans' first Carnival krewe was founded in 1857 by former members of Mobile's Cowbellian de Rakin Society, which was founded in 1830. However, Mobile's parades were held on New Year's Eve until 1866, when they switched to Fat Tuesday. |
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| Krewes Are Named after What? |
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| The colorful worlds of Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology are the sources of nearly half of the parading krewe names. Other clubs are named after the neighborhoods through which they travel, while some are named after historical figures or places. |
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| What Do the Carnival Colors Mean? |
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| Purple represents justice, green stands for faith and gold signifies power. Rex, the King of Carnival, selected them in 1872 for his first parade. While they were probably chosen simply because they looked good together, Rex assigned a meaning to each in his 1892 parade, entitled "Symbolism of Colors." |
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| What Are Masquerade Balls and Why Can't I Go? |
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| Most Carnival balls are private formal affairs (tuxedos and long gowns required) and are by invitation only. Bals Masque (masked balls) in New Orleans predate the first parade by more than a century. More than 125 private balls are presented each season in the city's Convention Center and in the grand ballrooms of major hotels. Mock royalty reigns over each ball, where a king, queen, maids and dukes are presented. In the older society krewes, the court is made up of debutantes. Some clubs stage "tableaux" (theatrical scenes) enacted by krewe members, and favors are given to special guests. Krewes such as Bacchus, Orpheus, Endymion and Zulu have replaced the traditional ball with extravaganzas presented at the Louisiana Superdome and at the Morial Convention Center. Tickets are sold to these events. |
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| What's the Theme for this Year? |
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| There is no general theme for Mardi Gras, but each individual parade depicts a specific subject. The floats then reflect the krewe's theme for that year. Maskers are costumed in a manner that illustrates the overall parade theme and the individual float title. Among the more popular subjects have been history, children's stories, legends, geography, famous people, entertainment, mythology and literature. |
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| Do I Have to Mask? |
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| No, but you should, at least on Fat Tuesday, the only day when street masking is legal (from dawn to dusk). Masking, which can be elaborate or makeshift, dates from Roman carnivals when assuming false identities was a common practice. By law, float riders must be masked at all times. |
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| Is Secrecy Still a Part of Carnival? |
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| Yes. While many Carnival clubs are fairly accessible (some even have websites), most maintain the tradition of secrecy that has been a part of Mardi Gras since its earliest days. A unique custom in the older organizations is that the king's name is never made public. An exception is Rex, whose name is revealed the day before his parade. And while many in the media know his identity days in advance, the embargo on publishing it has never been violated. |
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| What about Celebrities? |
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| The Krewe of Bacchus began the tradition of selecting celebrity kings with its first parade in 1969, when Danny Kaye reigned. Endymion and Orpheus also annually invite guest celebrities to ride in their parades. Some of the more popular stars to have appeared are Bob Hope, Dolly Parton, Wayne Newton, John Goodman, Jackie Gleason, Britney Spears, Kirk Douglas, Harry Connick Jr., Nicholas Cage and the Beach Boys. In most cases visiting stars are not paid to ride, although the krewes do cover their expenses. |
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| Has Mardi Gras Ever Been Canceled? |
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| Yes, but not often. Since 1857, only 13 Fat Tuesdays have been affected. Most cancellations were caused by wars: Civil, WWI, WWII and Korean. |
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| Is Mardi Gras Really X-rated? |
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| While Bourbon Street has an established reputation for wild antics, Mardi Gras is generally a safe, G-rated event enjoyed by families. The festivities provide an opportunity for adults to act like kids again. |
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| What Makes Mardi Gras Parades Different? |
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| Throws! Baubles tossed from floats turn New Orleans parades into crowd participation events. It is not uncommon for a float rider to spend $500 or more on beads, cups and doubloons, which are freely thrown to parade viewers. |
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| Is Mardi Gras Staged for Visitors? |
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| While the "greatest free show on earth" draws nearly one million visitors, Mardi Gras is a party the city throws for itself. It has developed into a world-class tourist attraction, yet the City of New Orleans doesn't spend a cent promoting it. |
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| What Companies Sponsor Mardi Gras? |
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| They don't. Mardi Gras is the only entertainment venue in the world where the stars foot the bill and the audience gets a free ride. By tradition and by law, Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans may not be corporately sponsored. Carnival clubs are chartered as nonprofit organizations. They are financed by dues, by the sale of krewe-emblemed merchandise to the members and by fundraising projects such as bingos. |
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| Why Can't I Buy an Official Mardi Gras Poster? |
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| There is no such thing. Unlike the Olympics or the SuperBowl, there is no governing authority to license products. Mardi Gras is like Christmas and Halloween -- it belongs to everyone. Beware of any item that bears the title "official." The claim (and the product?) are bogus. Free enterprise reigns supreme over Mardi Gras, making it a virtual paradise for entrepreneurs who compete for counter space and the attention of the public. |
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| Who Coordinates Mardi Gras? |
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| No one. While city governments issue parade permits, there is no overall authority that coordinates the five dozen parades held in the metro area during the 12 days that precede Fat Tuesday. Each parading organization is completely autonomous. |
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