The New Orleans Botanical Garden celebrates spring with the return of its signature series, Evenings with Enrique, every Wednesday in April. Guests may enjoy extended hours, strolling through the Garden’s 2,000 blooming flowers and plants from around the world while listening to live music and savoring food and beverages from Kitchen in the Garden Eats. Evenings kicks off April 6 and is held every Wednesday through April 26 from 5-8 p.m. The event is free for Louisiana residents, courtesy of The Helis Foundation.

Evenings with Enrique launched in 2016 at the Botanical Garden and takes place in April and October each year. The series pays homage to renowned artist Enrique Alférez who has over 20 sculptures featured onsite in The Helis Foundation Enrique Alférez Sculpture Garden, an 8,000-square-foot park featuring Alférez’s works set within sweeping footpaths surrounded by lush tropical flowers and shrubs.

Alférez was a Mexican American artist who lived in New Orleans for almost 70 years. He was active during the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and his sculptures can be found throughout New Orleans, including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition, and throughout City Park.

Schedule:
April 6: Margie Perez
April 13: Fermin Ceballos
April 20: Los Súper
April 27: ARPA

Fans of Alférez’s work can also purchase Enrique Alférez: Sculptor by Katie Bowler Young on site at Evenings with Enrique at the Oscar J. Tolmas Center, the entrance to the Botanical Garden. Published by The Historic New Orleans Collection in 2021, the book chronicles the life of the preeminent artist and was made possible with support from The Helis Foundation and members of The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 2019 Bienville Circle and Laussat Society.