Come see the Tony and Olivier Award winning show live in New Orleans.
Oliver!Rivertown Theaters
325 Minor Street
Kenner, LA 70062
January 10 – 26, 2020
7:30pm
Every Friday and Saturday
2pm Sunday
Tickets $32
Click Here for More Information.
This parade follows the Phunny Phorty Phellows in the streetcar.
Funky Uptown Krewe ParadeUptown New Orleans
S. Carrollton
New Orleans, LA 70118
January 6, 2020
7:05 pm
Free Event.
Click Here for More Information.
When thinking of New Orleans, visitors and residents alike will always picture the grand riverboats. The New Orleans Paddlewheels riverboats can be seen running along the Mississippi River any given day or night. These floating venues host many events but are limited on space. New Orleans is now home to the newest riverboat the Louis Armstrong which is large enough to host weddings, conventions, parties and concerts.
Emily Blackburn, director of sales at New Orleans Paddlewheels, found a boat capable of hosting these larger events all the way in Indiana. The 3,000 passenger vessel was a casino riverboat called the City of Evansville. Built in 1995, the boat was completely rebuilt into a floating music, wedding, convention and party venue.
The multi-million-dollar renovation took place on a drydock in Morgan City and then moved to Algiers behind the Mardi Gras World where it will be docked when out of commission.
To create this great venue, the first mission was to remove all the gaming machines, walls, ceilings, floors, bathrooms and the casino boat’s cashier counters. Once that was complete the transformation could begin.
Throughout the riverboat new electrical, a security system, high-tech audio system, new stage, new bars, new lounges, and digitally controlled lighting were installed. The air-conditioning system was also upgraded.
The three enclosed decks and the promenade were all redesigned with specific functions in mind. They also were redesigned to be versatile so the venue would be a clean slate. The first floor can be subdivided for meetings and dinners. The second floor is the main concert hall with a standing-room-only capacity of 1,000 and a seated show of 400. The third floor will hold weddings, banquets and other events and includes a lounge.
Since there are so many bridges in New Orleans, the huge smokestacks were also taken down, refurbished and reinstalled. The exterior was also redone by sandblasting and repainting the entire riverboat. The engines were overhauled, safety equipment updated and the pilot house was updated.
The Louis Armstrong will board at 1 Poydras St. behind the Hilton Riverside Hotel where the Flamingo riverboat casino used to dock. The riverboat will host functions remaining dockside or sailing. Every Sunday patrons will enjoy a gospel jazz brunch. The riverboat will also hold concerts.
Even though the Louis Armstrong has not made its official debut, the boat is already booked for dozens of events for 2020. One big event is the College Football Playoff National Championship weekend in January. The riverboat will be docked alongside Woldenburg Park for ESPN and CFP committee private parties.
“It’s going to be very exciting,” Blackburn said. “I might cry happy tears.”
Click Here For the Source of the Information.
It is almost that time of year! Mardi Gras 2020 is just around the corner. February 2020 marks NOLA’s Mardi Gras season. One of the best known parades for beautiful floats is the Orpheus parade. The Orpheus parade, founded by Harry Connick Jr., Sonny Borey and Harry Connick Sr. in 1993, “is led by a cadre of Riding Lieutenants and the Orpheus Trojan Horse float followed by the 1,400 male and female krewe members enjoying their prestigious ride on one of 38 floats, including the Signature eight unit Smokey Mary ‘Steam Locomotive’ float and the Leviathan, a three unit 139 foot ‘Sea Monster’ float.”
The parade has seen many famous monarchs which include Quentin Tarantino, Sandra Bullock, Stevie Wonder, Joan Rivers, James Brown and Sean Payton. This year ‘Breaking Bad’ actor Bryan Cranston will reign.
Bryan Cranston stars in Breaking Bad as character Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who is a meth lord. Cranston has earned not only an Emmy but also a Golden Globe, SAG, Tony and Olivier Award.
Other famous faces who will ride in the parade are “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” stars Charlie Day and Mary Elizabeth Ellis and country musician and Dancing with the Stars finalist Lauren Alaina.
To top the parade off, there will be the krewe’s “Orpheuscapade” party and concert with a line up including Alaina plus appearances by D.J. Jubliee, Choppa, and Cupid. The concert will honor the late New Orleans funk pioneer Art Neville who passed in 2019.
Click Here and Click Here For the Source of the Information.
The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has plans to add a new 1,200-room hotel, residential and entertainment district on 47-acres upriver. The commercial district will focus on music and sport themed venues.
Plans to build an Omni-branded hotel and entertainment attractions are part of the Convention Center’s multi-billion-dollar refurbishment and expansion program. The program was developed to enhance the Convention Center and make it competitive with other giant convention centers across the country.
Five teams were narrowed down in October by the convention committee but only three development teams have been chosen to submit a master plan proposal for the new development. The detailed proposals will focus on the entertainment portion of the project which will include approximately 20-acres of the 47-acres. The three companies are Woodward, Leventhal, Carpenter; The Domain Companies; and River Park Neighborhood Investors.
“We are extremely gratified by the interest shown by five well-regarded and highly experienced development teams, and believe the three finalists demonstrate the kind of vision, experience and capabilities necessary to bring this transformative project to life,” said Michael Sawaya, president of the Convention Center, in a statement announcing the short list.
The Domain Companies which is run by Matthew Schwartz and Chris Papamichael is best known for South Market District. This $500 million development includes The Standard, restaurants and retail outlets. River Park Neighborhood Investors, led by Lou Lauricella, is known for the Elmwood Center, the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel and the Palace Theaters. The Woodward/Carpenter group is known for their current redevelopment of the World Trade Center on Canal Street into the Four Seasons Hotel.
The plans should compliment the hotel which will be developed by Dallas-based Matthews Southwest and local developer Darryl Berger. The convention center committee will devise a detailed request of what is expected in the three groups proposals December 13, 2019. The deadline for them to submit the master plan will be February 28, 2020. This deadline has been extended by more than a month of the original January 17, 2020 deadline.
The project has run into some hurdles including political and financial hardships. The City Planning Commission proposed “to reroute truck traffic in and out of the Port of New Orleans as part of its development of the upriver acres.” The port has also voiced concerns regarding the reroute of traffic in the area once the project is complete.
“We’ve always said we don’t have a plan yet and that whoever the master developer will be will have to engage with all of the businesses in the neighborhood to ensure everyone is on board,” Sawaya said.
Click Here For the Source of the Information.
