Developed internally by the staff of the Mayor’s Office of Nighttime Economy, the plan serves as a foundational roadmap built from real-time data, field experience, and community input, not a consultant-driven report. It focuses on practical, achievable steps that will stabilize the systems supporting nightlife while laying the groundwork for long-term growth and investment.

“The Office of Nighttime Economy is proud to announce the release of our first Strategic Plan,” said Michael Ince, Director of the Office of Nighttime Economy. “Developed in-house with input from nightlife stakeholders, business owners, and community partners, this plan outlines a clear set of directives to strengthen nightlife governance, support the nighttime workforce, and enhance the quality of life across New Orleans.”

Although the Office of Nighttime Economy was established in 2022 to serve as the City’s liaison between nightlife businesses, workers, and public agencies, it was initially created with a general vision to serve the hospitality community. Over the past year, the current team has transformed that early framework into a coordinated strategy, building this plan from the ground up through real-time data, community input, and collaboration with partner departments. The result is a roadmap informed by the people who live and work in New Orleans nightlife every day, strengthened by best practices from experts and peer cities nationwide.

The plan is organized around five priority pillars:

1. Nightlife Business Support & Visibility – Strengthening independent nightlife businesses through visibility, training, and sustainability tools.
2. Summertime Sustainability – Addressing the city’s slow season through creative programming and policy reforms that promote year-round stability.
3. Access, Mobility, & Space – Expanding access to transportation, affordable commercial space, and ADA accessibility in nightlife venues.
4. Public Safety & Quality of Life – Advancing harm reduction, coordination, and safety programs to support workers and residents alike.
5. Music Industry Development – Building stronger infrastructure, funding, and workforce programs for New Orleans’ music ecosystem.

“New Orleans can’t afford to keep reacting after the damage is done,” said Julia E. Heath, Policy & Outreach Manager and lead author of the plan. “Our culture is priceless, but it isn’t self-sustaining. This strategy is about being proactive: investing in the systems that protect our people, our venues, and our creative economy before they’re priced out or erased. We have a real chance right now to plan intentionally, to treat nightlife as essential infrastructure, and to preserve what makes this city extraordinary before it’s broken apart and sold off piece by piece.”

The Office of Nighttime Economy has created numerous programs that serve nightlife businesses and workers, including:

• Mediate NOLA, a free neighborhood dispute resolution program;

• Tune-Up Grants for music venues to improve sound management and acoustics while creating a workforce pipeline from Loyola University directly into our local venues;

• Drink Test Strip and Narcan Distribution to support harm reduction;

• Downtown Discount, a discounted parking program for hospitality workers; and the New Orleans Music Census, a first-of-its-kind research initiative surveying over 1,500 members of the city’s music ecosystem and a subsequent free professional development series for musicians.

The Strategic Plan also emphasizes a whole-government approach, coordinating with departments across City Hall and external partners such as Loyola University, The Ella Project, and NITECAP Alliance to improve enforcement systems, expand workforce training, and strengthen cultural preservation efforts.

To read the New Orleans Nighttime Economy Strategic Plan, visit www.nola.gov/night.