The Annual NOLA River Fest is back July 23rd, 2022

Gates open at 11am

Festival starts at 12pm with Second Line from Jackson Square

Celebrating the cultural, economic, environmental & inspirational impacts and contributions of the Mississippi River to the Crescent City.
The 10th annual NOLA River Festival on Saturday, July 23rd, 2022 celebrates the cultural, economic, environmental, and inspirational impacts of the Mississippi River and its inhabitants on the Crescent City and the entire Gulf South region. The all-day festival at the New Orleans Jazz Museum will include live music, presentations and panels, walking tours, delicious local food vendors and a full bar, and more.
The festival is free and open to the public as well as streaming on Facebook.
More information coming soon. For questions and sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@nolajazzmuseum.org
12:00 pm (Second line starting in Jackson Square) - Treme Lafitte Brass Band featuring the N'awlins D'awlins Baby Dolls & Big Queen Mary Kay of the Original Wild Tchoupitoulas Indians
1:00 pm - The Caesar Brothers Funk Box
2:30 pm - GrayHawk Perkins & Friends
3:30 pm - Keiko Komaki, June Yamagishi and Donald MaGee Trio
5:00 pm - Detroit Brooks
6:30 pm - Jason Neville Funky Soul Band
River Fest ‘22 - Presentations and Panel discussions
12:00 pm
“Reducing Louisiana’s Contribution to Climate Change”: How LA’s Climate Initiatives Taskforce is working to develop policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Charles Sutcliffe, LA’s Chief Resilience Officer, and the Taskforce team
1:00 pm
“Healthier, stronger New Orleans Neighborhoods”: Learn about one organizations efforts to make our neighborhoods more resilient to flooding through native plants and local projects
Angela Chalk, Healthy Community Services, and HCS team.
2:00 pm
"What's In The Water": How the Mississippi River sustains life along the coast by transporting sediment to build land and providing drinking water for communities
Alisha Renfro, National Wildlife Federation, and Ginger Rushing, Assumption Parish Water. Moderated by Kevin McCaffrey, documentary film maker.
3:00 pm
"River of Inspiration": A focus on local artists who find inspiration in the River
Rontherin Ratliff, sculptor, and Simon Gunning, painter. Moderated by Kevin McCaffrey, documentary film maker.
River Fest encourages guests to invest thought and action into the preservation of the community that gathered to celebrate. Free and open to the public for the last 10 years, River Fest is unique among other Louisiana festivals in that it is as educational as it is entertaining.
In addition to providing a variety of local cuisine and music performances in years past, the Jazz Museum hosts several educational panels, walking tours, and children’s activities focused on the seafood industry, coastal restoration, and sustainability.
The accessibility of the panels exposes these visitors to first-hand accounts from leaders in business sustainability, water management, urban reforestation, fishing, and water transportation. These educational opportunities emphasize the responsibility that individuals share in preserving their culture and community. Because the festival draws visitation from both locals and tourists, the ideas learned in these discussions have a direct impact on both the local community and beyond.
River Fest is strengthened by the community partnerships that made it possible, giving organizations a unique opportunity for cross-industry learning for both attendees and participants. River Fest is a great collaborative effort from a range of environmental, educational, economic, and cultural institutions, including RESTORE The Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana Seafood Board, National Wildlife Federation, Tulane University, and the Water Collaborative of New Orleans. The result is a call to action for all involved in the festival to be more conscious and deliberate participants in the future of the Mississippi River community.
To revisit River Fest 2021, watch here.
To revisit River Fest 2020, watch here.