The best time to visit New Orleans

Spring is probably the best season for weather in New Orleans. Mild temps are ideal for outdoor festivals, and there are plenty this time of year. From the meat-centric Hogs for the Cause and the amazingly free French Quarter Festival to the world-renowned Jazz Fest, and everything in between—Greek Fest, Freret Fest, Tremé Creole Gumbo and Congo Square Rhythms Festivals, NOLA on Tap, Tennessee Williams Fest and so many more—there’s a festival for everyone. 

Festivals around the city are prime spots for trying some of the best food in New Orleans—these fests have real, local vendors—but spring is also peak season for crawfish. Spicy crawfish boils are plentiful around town, at restaurants, bars, breweries and backyards, and you won’t want to miss out on these tasty crustaceans.

There’s no denying it, summer in New Orleans is hot.  But there are plenty of ways to deal with the heat: think snowballs, frozen daiquiris, picnics on the river, and refreshing dips in hotel pools open to the public. Despite the swampy conditions, the city is still alive with activity in the summer—just at a slower pace. Don your coolest linen or seersucker and hit up Essence Festival, Creole Tomato Festival, Satchmo Summerfest, White Linen Night, Midsummer Mardi Gras or Decadence. 

Summer is the perfect time to visit the city’s top museums and attractions, most of which are sufficiently air-conditioned. Check out the National WW2 Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art, Ogden Museum, Backstreet Cultural Museum and many more. If you’re here in August, you can enjoy special menus and great deals at some of New Orleans’ best restaurants through the month-long COOLinary New Orleans.

Hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30. This doesn’t mean the city is constantly under threat, but since hurricanes arrive with plenty of notice, you can adjust your plans accordingly.

Fall is also a great time to visit, with another round of amazing festivals that take advantage of good weather while presenting the best food and music in the city. There’s Beignet Fest, Blues & BBQ Fest, Fried Chicken Fest, Gentilly Fest, Art for Art’s Sake, Top Taco, Po-Boy Fest, and so on. Halloween is also a big draw in the fall, with a slew of events that infuse the macabre with the spirit of Mardi Gras.

Fall means football too, which is huge in New Orleans whether you’re a fan or not. Saints fans—if not in the Dome or tailgating outside—gather at beloved sports bars around the city to cheer on the Black and Gold, and everyone's invited. College football fans, especially those who pray to the altar of the LSU Tigers, are unmissable, and Saturday nights are always a party when there’s a big game. Around Thanksgiving, the annual Bayou Classic is much more than a football game between rivals Southern and Grambling, as the event brings parties, parades and a Battle of the Bands like no other.

Winter in New Orleans is mostly mild, with only a few frigid days here and there. It’s a festive time that includes both the holidays and Carnival season. Stately homes along St. Charles Avenue and in the French Quarter are decorated for the holidays, and there are plenty of spirited events, from caroling in Jackson Square to Celebration in the Oaks. Visit hotels like the Roosevelt, Ritz-Carlton and Windsor Court to see them decked in their holiday finest while sipping on a seasonal cocktail. Be sure to check out the special Reveillon dinner menus at restaurants around town—a tradition from Creole times in the early 1800s. 

Of course, winter is also Carnival time; the city’s most famous festival period starts on January 6 (Twelfth Night/Epiphany) every year, and lasts until Mardi Gras, which changes based on Easter. Carnival means king cake, fanciful balls, parades and the big day itself, which draws hundreds of thousands of revelers locally and worldwide. While the week or so leading up to Mardi Gras is probably the most crowded with tourists, it’s definitely a bucket-list New Orleans event for all.