Prepare your little prancers and dancers! Jazz Brunch with Santa is back at The Court of Two Sisters!
The annual celebration will take place on December 19, 22 & 23 this year and will include live jazz entertainment, a brunch buffet, a visit with Santa, and a gift for every child (naughty or nice.)
Costs: $56 for ages 13+ and $36 for ages 2-12 with a paid adult.
This popular event always sells out so book now. Prepaid reservations are required. Call 504-522-7261, ext. 24 or email [email protected].
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Sailing with Santa – Sat., Nov. 29, 2025
Teach your children the true meaning of Christmas on Sailing with Santa Cruise on the Steamboat NATCHEZ. Head down to the dock near Jax Brewery in the French Quarter on November 29th. The cruise is $5 per person (without lunch) and $20 per person (lunch included). All participants, regardless of age, must bring a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to Toys for Tots.
Entertainment on board will be geared to children, with a meet and greet and photos with a visit from Santa. Holiday attire is recommended but not required.
Boarding time: 2 p.m.
Cruising: 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Ticket pickup and cruise: 400 Toulouse Street (adjacent to JAX Brewery Building)
For reservations and more info about the Sailing with Santa Cruise, go here.
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Who’s hungry for New Orleans culture? This free celebration in Louis Armstrong Park on November 8th and 9th will have food, music, and dance–everything you love about this city. It just wouldn’t be fall, y’all, without the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival.
City Park will be covered in powdered sugar on November 15th for this festival featuring dozens of different kinds of beignet dishes, a Kids Village, an Artist Market, live music and more.
See: New Orleans Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving Day
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This year, take your family to the Festival Grounds in New Orleans City Park for Beignet Fest, benefiting local autism programs for children and families. This annual event takes place on Saturday, November 15th, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Come get your fill of all kinds of beignets, savory and sweet, stuffed and not.
Entertainment
Along with live music, there will also be a Kid’s Village, an Artist Market, and a Beer Garden for the parents. And kids under 12 get in free! Learn more.
Photo credit: Beignet Fest
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Krewe of Boo, October 25!
Monster fun will be had at the city’s official Halloween parade, Krewe of Boo in the Boo Carré (of course). The event features scary-cool floats from Kern Studios, the premier float building organization in America. Dracula, the werewolf, Frankenstein…they’ll all be there. Come catch candy, beads, stuffed Halloween-themed toys and more! Put on your costume and yell “Throw me something, Monsta!” For parade route info and more information, go to www.kreweofboo.com.
Boo at the Zoo, Oct. 17, 18 & 19
For years, Boo at the Zoo at the Audubon Zoo has been the highlight of the Halloween season in New Orleans. Take a ride on the Ghost Train. Enter a haunted house – if you dare. And let your little human animals go trick-or-treating.
Ghosts in the Oaks, Oct. 16-19
This Monster Mash in Carousel Gardens Amusement Park at City Park includes a trick-or-treat path, unlimited amusement park rides, arts & crafts, a pumpkin patch, balloon animals, live music and more. Children under 2 are admitted free of charge.
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One of the fun things about Mardi Gras is seeing all the group costumes – families and friends that dress according to a theme. Not only is it more fun – it’s easier to pick each other out in a crowd. We’ve seen families dress as all the characters from the Wizard of Oz, Batman villains and Avengers. And then there was the group of friends who went as cockroaches (ew!).
This Halloween, why not pick a costume theme for your family? Kids love it when their parents costume and you’ll treasure the photos forever. Here are five fun “New Orleans” inspired ideas.
1. Go as beignets and café au lait
Dad can be the coffee cup, mom a napkin holder and the kids can all be beignets.
2. Go as New Orleans characters
Draw names to see who will be your Jean Lafitte, your Andrew Jackson, your Marie Laveau, your riverboat pilot and your Satchmo.
3. Go as the ingredients to gumbo
You’ll need a shrimp, a crab, an okra, a bottle of filé, a wooden spoon and a pot.
4. Go as New Orleans streets
St. Charles could be dressed as a mansion, Bourbon Street could be a lamp post , Frenchmen Street could be a trumpet and Canal Street could be a red streetcar.
5. Go as animals from the Audubon Zoo
A white alligator, a flamingo, a sea lion, a chimpanzee…someone could even go as the Roman Candy cart!
Get your kids involved and use your creativity! Let your imaginations run wild. Part of the fun of Halloween is the planning.
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Elegant though it may be, Houmas House on the Great River Road isn’t just for grown ups. It’s a magical place to take the kids this summer. Along with discovering history with a tour of the majestic mansion, they can have a great time exploring outside.
One of our favorite spots on the grounds is the Secret Garden. Follow the winding, shaded path into a world filled with funny garden gnomes, fascinating sculptures, and all kinds of flowers. You might even spy a lizard or a butterfly!
Speaking of wildlife, Houmas House has more than its fair share. There are peacocks, chickens, swans, ducks, koi ponds…and then of course there’s Princess Maggie the dog to pet. For most kids, Maggie alone is worth the half hour drive from New Orleans.
Houmas House is the perfect place to picnic, too. Whether you pack a lunch or pick one up at their cafe, find a shade tree and make sweet summer memories.
Photos courtesy of Houmas House
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Know what kids love best on Mother’s Day? Mother Nature! Pick up a picnic from one or your favorite New Orleans restaurants and pull up some grass at one these four parks.
City Park (Mid-City/Lakeview)
As New Orleans’ largest park, City Park stretches from Mid-City and Bayou St. John into the Lakeview neighborhood toward Lake Pontchartrain. From end to end, City Park boasts luscious green space lined with Spanish moss-draped oak trees and is filled with plenty of walking and biking paths. Come climb a tree, read stories under the oaks, and feed the ducks.
Audubon Park (Uptown)
Audubon Park is another large grassy area with plenty of room to run around and have a picnic. The park also has lots of gazebos and covered areas for setting up camp while the kids play tag and fly kites.
The Fly (Uptown)
After driving beyond Audubon Park and past the Audubon Zoo, you’ll reach The Fly, a long stretch of a park that borders and overlooks the Mississippi River. Come throw a Frisbee or have a picnic as you enjoy the mighty river in the background.
Woldenberg Park (French Quarter)
Woldenberg Park borders the Mississippi River on the Canal Street side of the French Quarter. There are lots of statues and art to enjoy as well as river traffic. Come take a walk or jog as a family.
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New Orleans makes the music.
You make the memories.
April 24-May 4, 2025
Jazz Fest is part of growing up in New Orleans. And while it might seem like more work than fun to have the little ones in tow for an event like this, most parents we know wouldn’t have it any other way. You’ve gotta start them on the Zydeco early!
If you do decide to Jazz Fest with the fam, here are a few tips. You might want to bring a beach blanket or a chair with an umbrella for quick naps. If you’re worried about music levels on your little one’s ears, throw some ear muffs or headphones into the stroller. And invest in a pair of those cute little rain boots, just in case.
The Official Jazz Fest Shuttle will get you right inside the gate (see link below). Once inside, head for less crowded stages like the Jazz & Heritage and Fais Do-Do stages. Plus the Blues and Gospel tents offer chairs. And don’t forget the Jazz Fest Kids Area! Your children will love the Ochsner Children’s Tent with shows specifically tailored for kids.
The Cultural Arts Tent is a great place to get those creative juices flowing. Your kids will be able to work with Mardi Gras flower makers, float painters and builders, paper mâché sculptures, puppeteers, costume makers and more. Each Saturday, at 2 pm, a petit carnival parade will roll through the area and your kids can join in!
There’s also the Ochsner’s Children’s Activity Tent offering fun STEM-focused health and wellness activities. And new this year is the Interactive Technology Tent where you can have motion graphics fun using props and a green screen. And the JF Peace Garden offers mindful movement, games and activities that use quiet observations and play for a gentle sensory experience. Have a tween in your household? They can take part in a Silent Disco Dance Party from 3-5 pm. daily.
And all this is just the tip of the iceberg! Some people might recommend going on Thursdays or Fridays to avoid the larger crowds but some of the best acts are on the weekend so we say “just go for it.”
Photo credit: Missy Fields Dalton
<<Learn More About Jazz Fest/See 2025 Lineup>>
<<Find a Hotel for Jazz Fest>>
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Lend us your bunny ears!
This April 9th, hop down the Bunny Trail with Old Man River. On the Easter Bunny Brunch Jazz Cruise on the Steamboat NATCHEZ, your family will have a blast getting your pictures taken with the Easter Bunny, dancing to live jazz, and nibbling away at an eggcellent brunch buffet. And, of course, there are those great river views. This is how you make Easter memories that will last a lifetime.