5 Things To Do in New Orleans in winter

Winter really is the most wonderful time of the year in Nola-la-la-laa, la la la laa, and Christmas casts a magical spell across the city, with illuminations lighting up the neighbourhoods, and even the streetcars and steamboats festooned with festive decorations.

Celebration in the Oaks sees City Park‘s ancient oak trees dazzle with millions of lights and visitors strolling the trails or riding the City Park Train to see the displays, while NOLA’s finest hotels, including The Roosevelt, The Windsor Court and The Ritz-Carlton, transform their lobbies into winter wonderlands.

And of course, it wouldn’t be the Holiday Season without memorable food and drink. Honouring a Creole tradition dating back to the mid-1800s, NOLA’s restaurants serve decadent four-course Réveillon Dinners, marking the start of the Christmas feasting, and the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, is celebrated at the “Latkes with a Twist” party each year.

Few things are more festive than listening to soul-soothing music in a cathedral, and every holiday season, locals and visitors alike embrace the NOLA tradition of enjoying a free choral concert in one of the U.S.A.’s oldest places of worship.

Located on Jackson Square in the French Quarter, the magnificent St. Louis Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece, with sublime acoustics, perfect for hosting a diverse range of artists and genres ranging from gospel to classical, pop and jazz. Produced by French Quarter Festivals, the Holidays New Orleans Style Concert Series hosts some of the city’s best-loved musicians, while the St. Louis Cathedral Christmas Concert features seasonal classics led by a choir.

Outside, Jackson Square is lit up with hundreds of candles for a free carol concert, open to people of all faiths, who come together for one night every December to sing traditional festive favourites.

New Orleans continues to honour many of its historic cultural traditions, introduced by the Africa, Creole, Cajun and European peoples, who have all left their inedible marks on the city.

For the past 200 years, communities have been lighting hundreds of bonfires along the levees of the Mississippi River on Christmas Eve, lighting the way for “Papa Noël”, the Cajun Santa Claus who flies around Louisiana delivering presents. Made traditionally from logs arranged in a pyramid, but now often taking on a creative contemporary twist, the fires are set alight at dusk, and are often accompanied by fireworks and food.

A popular place to watch is in Gramercy, and Gray Line New Orleans offers excursions from the Gray Line Lighthouse to see the bonfires, and to enjoy a tour and festive dinner at Destrehan Plantation, before heading on to see the feux de joie (fires of joy) at the levees.

New Orleanians are passionate about their beloved gumbo – the official state cuisine of Louisiana – but even they can’t decide on the definitive recipe, with chefs and locals all putting their own spin on this traditional Creole-Cajun classic.

A melange of French and West African ingredients and flavours, gumbo is a thick stew made with a roux base; stock; chopped celery, onions, bell peppers and garlic; plus meat, seafood and vegetables, usually served over steamed rice: spot on soul food for the winter season.

The city’s eateries add their own twists, like the French Quarter’s Mr. B’s Gumbo Ya-Ya served at Mr. B’s Bistro, which is a local favourite, and The Gumbo Shop’s Seafood Okra Gumbo, which has won the Best Gumbo category in the Best of New Orleans poll every year since 1999.

Vegans and vegetarians will find delicious meat- and seafood-free gumbo dishes in restaurants including Soule’ Cafe in Mid-City, too.

One of the world’s bucket-list travel experiences, everyone needs to let the good times roll at Mardi Gras once in their life (but we can’t guarantee you won’t be back for more).

Originating in medieval Europe, New Orleans has been celebrating Mardi Gras since 1699, when French-Canadian explorer, Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville first set foot here. In 1857, the first parade took place in the city and has since grown into the world famous event it is today.

“The Greatest Free Show on Earth” dazzles with lavish carnival floats, elaborate purple, green and gold costumes and masks, marching bands and the famous beads that are thrown to revellers as the parades pass by.

Visit Mardi Gras World to learn about the carnival’s history, get a close-up look at the spectacular floats used in the celebrations, and try a slice of traditional King Cake; a blend of coffee cake and cinnamon roll, iced in the colours of Mardi Gras.