NEW ORLEANS – French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (FQFI) proudly announces details regarding the 36th annual Holidays New Orleans Style (HNOS).
HNOS is a curation of the city’s most celebrated seasonal traditions, from Reveillon feasts at the city’s finest restaurants to free holiday concerts produced by FQFI.
This year, HNOS brings a hybrid of virtual and live experiences that offer a safe way to celebrate the season and enjoy the best New Orleans has to offer.
All of the participating restaurants, retailers, hotels, and special event hosts have implemented measures to ensure the safety for all, and guests are reminded to protect the community by enjoying Holidays New Orleans Style while adhering to health and safety protocols.
Locals and visitors alike will enjoy events like NOLA ChristmasFest, which brings the Christmas spirit home to families with a digital series of children’s activities titled “Santa’s Little Helpers.” The week-long online program, which launches December 11, is designed to help children hone the skills needed to be one of Santa’s elves-in-training. NOLA ChristmasFest’s online programming includes Christmas crafts, holiday baking and decorating, holiday dance and fitness classes, holiday science experiments, nightly book reading from some of our favorite Christmas characters and special guests, and more.
The 2020 season is the 34th anniversary of City Park’s largest fundraiser, Celebration in the Oaks. This year it will be a driving tour where guests can enjoy over a million twinkling lights and breathtaking light displays scattered throughout the 2.25 mile driving tour. Other events include a Christmas Eve Dinner, a New Year’s Eve Dinner, and a late-night Gala on New Year’s Eve hosted aboard the Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS; Greyline’s Christmas Eve Bonfire Express to the famous River Road lighting, and Jingling through the Crescent City Tour on Christmas Day; Caroling in the Square, renamed this year only as Caroling in Jackson Square, 2020 Style presented by Patio Planters to reflect limited on-site participation or the option to join in virtually via live streaming on the Patio Planters website; Making Spirits Bright at the Sazerac House; and many more.
For more than 25 years, FQFI has decorated Jackson Square to bring joy to locals and visitors. Though the Square will be closed due to COVID-19, it will be illuminated and dressed for the holidays thanks to sponsorship support from the French Market District. FQFI welcomes visitors to safely enjoy the festive atmosphere of Jackson Square and the entire French Quarter throughout December.
Holidays New Orleans Style Virtual Concert Series
Holidays New Orleans Style celebrates New Orleans’ rich musical heritage with a virtual concert series produced by French Quarter Festivals, Inc. The all-star lineup includes Irma Thomas, Amanda Shaw, Don Vappie, Tim Laughlin, and Rachel Van Voorhees. The performances will take place at St. Louis Cathedral and St. Augustine Catholic Church and will be broadcast on YouTube and Facebook Live on December 20 – 25.
FQFI president and CEO Emily Madero said, “This year, our team is grateful to continue to deliver on our non-profit mission by producing our virtual Holidays New Orleans Style Concert Series. It means everything to us to continue to employ local musicians and promote New Orleans culture during this challenging time. Next year, when we’re together again, we will celebrate with a renewed sense of joy as well as appreciation for the extraordinary talent and culture in our community.”
All concerts are free to view thanks to the generous sponsors.
For a complete schedule visit fqfi.org.
Reveillon Dinners
Reveillon, an adaptation of a traditional Creole holiday dining custom, will be celebrated nightly in restaurants throughout the city. Reveillon menus are offered only once a year, making HNOS the only time guests can enjoy this authentic taste of New Orleans. The broad range of menus showcase the traditional feasts of Christmas past as well as those of current times with contemporary Reveillon options available at many establishments including Antoine’s, Broussard’s Restaurant and Courtyard, Commander’s Palace, Café Degas, The Country Club, and Rib Room.
Click here for 2020 participants and menus.
Cooking Demonstrations
Holidays New Orleans Style serves up a series of cooking demonstrations from many of New Orleans’ finest chefs. FQFI and WWL-TV team up to bring the “12 Days of Reveillon.” For three weeks in December, WWL-TV will showcase New Orleans’ great chefs preparing items from their 2020 Reveillon menus each morning between 8 and 9 a.m. Restaurants include Elysian Bar with Chef Alex Harrell, Broussard’s Restaurant and Courtyard’s Chef Jimi Setchim, Rib Room’s Chef Tom Wolfe, Rosedale’s Chef Susan Spicer, and more.
Holiday Shopping
This year FQFI and New Orleans & Company are excited to launch a new holiday shopping guide on holiday.neworleans.com. The page features local retailers, including those from the iconic French Market District, one of the oldest marketplaces in the United States. “We are ecstatic to have the French Market District shops from the Upper Pontalba Building through the open-air Markets participating in this year’s Holiday New Orleans Style online shopping guide,” said Leslie Alley, Interim Executive Director of the French Market Corporation. “Our locally owned community of boutique retailers offers unique gifts ranging from chic fashions and a wide array of works by local artists to an assortment of beloved New Orleans’ confections. We invite New Orleanians and friends from afar to support small businesses and shop at the French Market this holiday season.”
Click here for the shopping guide.
Papa Noël Hotel Rates
Holidays New Orleans Style gives the gift of a memorable holiday encounter that can only be experienced in New Orleans. Travelers can take advantage of special offers at nearly 30 of the city’s finest hotels and bed and breakfasts that feature attractive nightly Papa Noël discounted rates and luxurious value packages to visitors as their gift of the season. New this year is ONE11 Hotel, which will open its doors on December 11. Click here for hotel deals.
“We know that even in the era of COVID-19, there is tremendous love for New Orleans and pent up demand from visitors who are eager to return to the city,” said Mark Romig, APR, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for New Orleans & Company. “Holidays New Orleans Style is a wonderful opportunity to market our culture and help recover our $10.5 billion tourism industry that creates 100,000 jobs and 43% of the city’s operating budget. This holiday season our focus will be on safety protocols – wear a mask, social distance and wash hands frequently – to keep locals and visitors safe as they experience a magical time in New Orleans.”
The HNOS online guide, available at holiday.neworeans.com is the central resource for locals to discover what to explore and visitors to plan their stay.
Visit fqfi.org for more information.