Things To Do While Ringing In the New Year in New Orleans
Looking for fun things to do while ringing in the New Year in New Orleans? You’re in luck! There are plenty of places to celebrate the New Year in NOLA, from live music venues to world-class restaurants to bar crawls in the historic French Quarter. At Nola Tour Guy, we firmly believe that every season looks good on the city, and winter is no exception!
In New Orleans, every holiday or celebration calls for live music, and New Year’s is right there on the list! NOLA’s concerts are more like communal parties, with food and open bars for a flat fee. Venues like Tipitina’s, The Riverview Room, and The House of Blues always throw an excellent New Year bash. If your looking for a smaller, more hip space to ring in the New Year, try The Mother in Law Lounge or maybe if Metal or Punk is your think be sure to check out Gasa Gasa. We’ve also written a complete guide to finding the best live music in New Orleans!
Wherever you’d like to spend your New Year, always make reservations, as venues fill up fast.
New Orleans is a destination known for award-winning dining, Cajun and Creole food, decadent desserts, craft cocktails, and mocktails. This New Years, treat yourself to some of NOLA’s best restaurants, and eateries. Want a more in depth look at where locals eat in the French Quarter? check out our favorites here.
Here is a brief list of restaurants open on New Year’s Eve. We’d definitely recommend making reservations!
ACME Oyster House
Acorn Cafe
Annunciation Restaurant
Apolline Restaurant
Arnaud’s
The Bower
Broussard’s
Café Degas
Compère Lapin
Court of Two Sisters
Doris Metropolitan
Jack Rose in the Ponchartrain Hotel
Jewel of the South
Landry’s Seafood House (French Quarter)
Mambo’s
Monkey Board
Muriel’s New Orleans
Napoleon House
Pizza Domenica
Public Service
Sylvain
The Will & The Way
Willa Jean
Fleur De Lis Drop
FREE
New Orleans counts down the New Year with a massive Fleur de Lis in historic Jackson Square. The entire family will stay entertained with live music, pyrotechnics, and fireworks over the Mississippi River!
The Allstate Sugar Bowl New Year’s Eve Parade
FREE
What’s more New Orleans than a parade? The Allstate Sugar Bowl New Year’s Eve Parade will have floats, live music, and family-friendly entertainment. The parade will begin at Elysian Fields Avenue and Decatur Street and travel through The French Quarter.
NYE Bourbon Street Bar Crawl
Tickets start at $89 per person
Party down the New Year at 3 French Quarter venues with VIP entry, free shots, drink specials, party beads, Bourbon Street balconies, and a champagne toast! Don’t even worry about remembering the night- a professional photographer will be there to capture all of the fun.
New Year’s Eve Fireworks Cruise- Steamboat Natchez
Tickets are $125 per person
Few things are as romantic as fireworks dancing across the Mississippi River on the historic Steamboat Natchez. Enjoy your views with appetizers, an open bar, music, and more.
NYE 2023 at The Cannery
Tickets start at $150 per person
If you’re feeling fancy this New Year’s Eve, opt for gourmet food by Toulouse Gourmet Catering, a premium open bar, and live entertainment at The Cannery, a luxury event space in Mid-city. Tickets include complimentary parking and a champagne toast at midnight, followed by a tasty continental breakfast.
New Year’s Eve at The Riverboat Room
Tickets are $200 per person
The first thing to know about this event is that tickets sell out every year, so get yours early! This year’s celebration, “Times Square of the South,” includes reserved seating, buffet-style dinner, a top-shelf open bar, champagne, music by The Topcats, views of the fireworks, and riverfront crowds.
The Boogeymen at Rock N’Bowl
Tickets are $22 per person
Rock N’Roll meets bowling this year at Rock N’ Bowl with The Boogeymen. Shimmy the night away to The Boogeymen’s rich, horn-powered dance music! Top off your night with a game of bowling and a few more craft cocktails.
The 800 block of Bourbon Street hosts a ton of fun parties for the queer community. Dancing, DJs, lasers, drag shows, and spicy cabaret await LGBTQ+ partygoers in New Orleans. Suppose you’d prefer to celebrate NYE more casually and less crazy. In that case, the AllWays Lounge and the Friendly Bar will be waiting for you!
Spend your New Year’s Eve day reflecting on the past by exploring one of the city’s above-ground cemeteries, the opulent Southern mansions in the Garden District, or the historic and mysterious French Quarter.
We at Nola Tour Guy want to give everyone a chance to experience the best of the city, so we’ve created pay-what-you-can walking tours of New Orleans! If you’d rather see the city at your pace, grab one of our free, self-guided walking tours of New Orleans with maps.





