Parties, Music & NFL Events

New Orleans is a party town on any given week, but when you combine the Super Bowl—the city’s 11^th—during the time of Mardi Gras, there is so much more to do besides the football game. Here are a lineup of events, and some of the many reasons to visit New Orleans at any time of year.

NFL Events

For starters, the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras combine in the Super Bowl Host Committee Parade to be held on February 8 between 10 a.m. and noon in the French Quarter. It starts on the corner of Esplanade Avenue and Decatur Street, heads down Decatur to Poydras Street and winds up in the Warehouse District.

The floats will showcase football themes created by NFL partners with celebrities and athletes aboard followed by marching bands and stomping groups. Spectators should be prepared to catch beads painted with NFL themes instead of the usual purple, green and gold of Mardi Gras along with plush footballs. Daily Mardi Gras parades begin on February 21 and run through March 4, so visitors who want to get a sense of what those look like (and be enticed to come back for them) should drop into Mardi Gras World to see the floats and costumes on display.

Kicking off the week, Super Bowl Opening Night is being held on February 3 at Caesars Superdome, the site of the game, giving fans the opportunity to hear from, meet and take photos with the players. Current players and legends of the sport also turn up at the Super Bowl Experience at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center from February 5 to 8. It’s an immersive, family-friendly festival including clinics and interactive games.

Also at the Convention Center, the Super Bowl Breakfast on February 8 between 8 and 10:30 a.m. is bound to be an emotional event since the centerpiece of it is the awarding of the Bart Starr Award which honors the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership. This year, the award is going to hometown star Saints defensive end Cam Jordan and the lineup of speakers includes Saints owner Gayle Benson and Super Bowl champion coach Tony Dungy.

Music

Music is everywhere, all the time with performances worth seeing in longstanding venues such as Preservation Hall and the clubs lining Frenchmen Street such as The Spotted Cat Music Club and Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro. “Songbird of New Orleans” Robin Barnes is scheduled to perform in the Superdome before the game but visitors should also check out her regular stint at the Peacock Room on Thursdays.

There are also special concerts that week: Super Bowl Soulful Celebration on February 5 features a lineup including the Isley Brothers, Yolanda Adams and local star Trombone Shorty. Bud Light Backyard with Post Malone takes place at The Fillmore on February 7. The same night Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll and Shaboozey are headlining the Madden Bowl at The Orpheum Theater; Trombone Shorty is dropping in on this one too along with the New Breed Brass Band.

Parties Around Town

Before he hosts the NFL Honors ceremony at the Saenger Theatre on February 6, Snoop Dogg is mixing party time with commercial promotion by hosting the Gin & Juice party from 4 to 8 p.m. at Above the Grid at the NOPSI Hotel; it’s featuring his gin cocktail line. As his DJ persona DJ Snoopadelic, he’s also hosting the 99 Club After Party after the Madden Bowl in the Double Dealer speakeasy beneath the theater the next night. Another event that day: Fred Minnick Live Presented by the New Orleans Bourbon Festival at the Marriott Warehouse Arts District Hotel with high end bourbon tastings, an appearance by NFL legend Terry Bradshaw and music by country artist Dierks Bentley.

Friday is a busy day. Also that night: Shaquille O’Neal is hosting Shaq’s Fun House at Mardi Gras World with John Summit, Ludacris and others plus rides and circus acts. The next night, Sports Illustrated is taking over that venue for a party featuring performances by Diplo and Dom Dolla. The funky hotel/former church and rectory Hotel Peter & Paul is hosting a different type of event on February 3: F/504 Presents Halftime Elegance, a fashion/photo event for creatives which encourages guests to attend in vintage fashion mixed with sports attire.

Anyone who’s ever wondered what products are given out in goodie bags at high profile events can find out by attending The Big Game Luxury Gifting Suite alongside NFL players and celebrities on February 8. There will be fine wines, craft cocktails, gourmet cuisine and gifts of luxury products from 12-25 elite purveyors.

Culinary Explorations

New Orleans is a foodie utopia with too many essential experiences for a single visit. Among them for first time visitors to try and the city’s fans to revisit: Willie Mae’s nola, the recently reopened and relocated restaurant for life changing fried chicken; Mr. B’s Bistro for BBQ Shrimp; Brennan’s for breakfast and its creation, the flamed tableside Bananas Foster; Seaworthy for oysters and creative seafood combinations; Napoleon House for the Italian meat and olive sandwich muffaletta served hot or the recently reopened originator Central Grocery & Deli which serves them room temperature.

Other meals to have around town: Shrimp Arnaud (Remoulade) at Arnaud’s, which also contains a Mardi Gras costume museum and features live jazz at Sunday brunch; Friday lunch at Galatoire’s, the traditional spot for locals to kick off the weekend. Asking those locals who makes the best gumbo is likely to elicit the response that it’s their mother or grandmother. But there are many prime choices around town such as the famous Dooky Chase’s, L’il Dizzy’s Café, James Beard Award Winning chef Donald Link’s Herbsaint and another James Beard Award Winning chef Alon Shaya’s Miss River which serves duck and andouille gumbo with potato salad or the more standard rice.

Headlining the weekend are two major culinary events. Taste of the NFL on February 8 at the National World War II Museum features an extravaganza of delectable dishes both local and beyond including West Indies Short Ribs, Bayou Crabcakes with citrus aioli and Oyster & Crab Gumbo. The restaurants represented are some of the biggest players in town such as Dooky Chase’s, Restaurant R’evolution, Brennan’s and Dakar Nola and proceeds benefit GENYOUth’s End Student Hunger Fund. The other is the Players’ Tailgate from 1 to5 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday, a massive event featuring over 50 NFL players and celebrities mingling with the crowd while sampling the offerings of famous chefs. Organizing chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Marc Murphy and Aaron have assembled a team of 15 stellar chefs including Alon Shaya and Boston’s Ken Oringer.

But those aren’t all. Down on the riverfront in Woldenberg Park, the Pepsi NOLA Eats Fest is gathering a group of popular local restaurants on February 7 and 8 from noon to 5 p.m. Among them: Morrow’s, Willie Mae’s nola, We Dat’s, Boswell’s Jamaican Grill, and Los Jefes Grill. There will also be live music from Mannie Fresh and the Pepsi Super Bowl Boil on February 7 between 12 and 2 P.M, a competition between two restaurants, Crawlins Seafood and Mr. Shrimp’s Kitchen, to see who does the best seafood boil. Uber Eats is also getting into the act with The One Party by Uber with Travis Scott on February 7 featuring food from local restaurants that are on the app. It’s free for Uber One members. Another group of hot local restaurants such as Mister Mao, Turkey and the Wolf and L’il Dizzy’s Café is also the feature of Family Style Fest New Orleans on February 8. And guests of the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans (which will be closed, along with its restaurants, to non-guests over Super Bowl weekend) will be treated to complimentary tastings such as Hennessy X.O. pairing with truffles, a Moet mimosa bar and midnight burger boxes. There will also be live music daily.

Getting Around

Given recent events, the security around the Superdome will be even tighter than usual with many roads closed. But guests of hotels in the French Quarter, CBD and Warehouse District can easily walk to it. Car services will also be available. And to go to different neighborhoods, the four main streetcar lines are the most atmospheric way to get there.

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