Congo Square Rhythms Festival
Schedule
Sat, 29 Mar, 2025 at 10:45 am to Sun, 30 Mar, 2025 at 07:30 pm
UTC-05:00Location
701 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116-3085, United States | New Orleans, LA
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It was in Congo Square that enslaved African people gathered on Sunday afternoons to practice their ancestral traditions. Their legacy lives on in our Congo Square Rhythms Festival, a free weekend celebration showcasing the music, food, and dance that made New Orleans known around the world.Come out for two full days of music, 10:45am to 7:30pm, with
performances by Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, New Breed Brass Band, Original Pinettes Brass Band, Gladney, Erica Falls, Jamal Batiste, Robin Barnes & the Fiya Birds, Nola Resistance, Cole Williams, Alicia Renee aka “Blue Eyes," We Are One Brass Band, Bamboula 2000, Shaka Zulu, and many more!
Plus, an exhibition of African dance from premiere New Orleans dance ensembles featuring Nkiruka Drum & Dance Ensemble, N’fungola Sibo African Dance and Drum Company, Inc., Kumbuka Dance Ensemble, N’Kafu Traditional African Dance, and Culu Children’s Traditional African Dance!
The Congo Square Rhythms festival sits on the outskirts of the French Quarter in Tremé, celebrating the neighborhood as a key proving ground in the birthplace of jazz!
Admission to the Congo Square Rhythms Festival is free. But we will have donation boxes set up at most of the park entrances. If you want to help us keep our events free, please support us with the donation of your choice. Thank you!
CLASS GOT BRASS
Class Got Brass presented by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation is a program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation to support music education in the schools while promoting the traditional brass band music of New Orleans. We invite middle schools and high schools in Louisiana to create a New Orleans-style brass band of up to 12 members – and then to enter a competition in the form of a “second-line” parade with a who’s who of celebrity judges. At stake are more than $50,000 worth of instruments and other supplies for the winning schools’ music programs. Class Got Brass takes place in conjunction with Congo Square Rhythms Fest on Saturday, March 29!
ARTS MARKET
As always, we will feature two Art Markets, with dozens of local artists showcasing beautiful hand-made artworks and crafts, as well as, imported goods. Local artisans will be present, offering fine art, photography, jewelry, clothing, and housewares. The arts market gives space to the African diaspora’s influence on New Orleans at the Congo Square Rhythms Festival and features an array of artistic expressions showcasing a blend of African traditions and New Orleans culture. You’ll find traditional African textiles and fabric fashioned into clothing and accessories, Intricately carved wooden sculptures, hand-blown glass sculptures, alongside contemporary mixed-media artworks that explore the African American experience in New Orleans. The market will offer handcrafted jewelry featuring materials like beads and cowrie shells, pottery, quilts, and other textile arts that draw from both African craftsmanship and Southern traditions!
FOOD
Two food markets will emphasize the African diaspora’s influence on New Orleans at the 2025 Congo Square Rhythms Festival. You’ll encounter a vibrant mix of flavors and dishes that color the culinary journey from Africa to the Crescent City. The offerings might include West African jollof rice, Caribbean specialties such as oxtail stew and Jamaican patties which would highlight the cultural exchanges that have enriched Creole cuisine. New Orleans classics like jambalaya, gumbo, étouffée, and red beans and rice would be prominently featured, showcasing the fusion of African, French, Spanish, and Native American influences unique to the region. Other highlights will include sweet treats like beignets or pralines, and other staples of food culture in New Orleans. The food markets will not only celebrate traditional dishes but also contemporary interpretations and street foods, bringing a flavorful experience to festival-goers.
KIDS TENT
Congo Square Rhythms Festival will also feature a Kids Tent where our youngest fest-goers can get creative from 12-6pm with free activities!
BUILD & PLAY
The Blocks are Back! PlayBuild’s over-sized Imagination Playground “Big Blue Blocks” are fun for kids of all ages. Kids parents, groups of friends, everyone can join the fun, building and playing together.
Full details can be found at congosquarerhythms.com.
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Where is it happening?
701 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116-3085, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
