In New Orleans, Katrina isn’t just a past disaster — it’s part of the city’s civic identity, a “before and after” marker that still shapes how residents see themselves, their neighborhoods, and their resilience. This August, cultural institutions, artists and community leaders will honor the 20th anniversary with performances, screenings, and conversations that reflect on loss, survival, and the city’s ongoing journey.

Treme: Special Screening & Conversation

Friday, Aug. 22 at 6 p.m.
Gallier Hall’s Ty Tracy Theater, 545 St. Charles Ave

Join Film New Orleans for a free screening of HBO’s Treme, chronicling musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians, and community leaders rebuilding their lives and traditions after Katrina. The screening will be followed by a talkback with cast members and cultural leaders, including Karen-Kaia Livers, Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown, Queen Cherice Harrison-Nelson, Lance E. Nichols, Tamara Jackson, and Gralen Bryant Banks.

Admission is free; advance registration required.

*NEW* Hip Hop Caucus and Press Conference Calling for a Statewide Louisiana Holiday Commemorating Hurricane Katrina

Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. 

Steps of New Orleans City Hall, 1300 Perdido Street

Community leaders, artists, and elected officials will gather to call for the creation of a statewide Louisiana holiday honoring Hurricane Katrina. The holiday would recognize lives lost, honor survivors, and serve as a reminder to future generations of the storm’s impact.

This announcement comes ahead of the 20th Annual Katrina Commemoration on Friday, August 29, when Katrina Commemoration Inc. and Hip Hop Caucus will lead a national 60-second moment of silence at 11:20 a.m. CT from the Lower 9th Ward levees. The events underscore the ongoing need for official observance, climate justice, equitable recovery, and disaster preparedness.

Participating officials and artists include Rep. Oliver Thomas, Rep. Alonzo Knox, Congressman Troy Carter, Councilmembers Freddie King, Helena Moreno, Eugene Greene, Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., Dawn Richard, Mia X, and Sunni Patterson.

For more information, visit www.katrina20.com

Currently updated events as of 5 p.m. CST Aug. 27

Together in the Eye: 20 Years Later – Documentary Premiere

Thursday, Aug. 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Prytania Theatre at Canal Place

Created by New Orleans native Yasmeen Blake, who was nine when she and her family sheltered in Algiers during the storm, this documentary offers a deeply personal account of surviving Katrina without the option to evacuate. Through home video, archival news, and new interviews, Together in the Eye captures both the harrowing days of the storm and its lasting generational impact.

A panel discussion with Blake, her mother Adrienne Singleton, and sister Geniqua Randolph will follow the screening.

General Admission is $25. VIP admission is $100 and includes open bar and light bites.

Tickets are available here.

The State of New Orleans Culture: 20 Years After Katrina – Public Panel Discussion

Thursday, Aug. 28 from 5-8 p.m.
New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade Ave

Presented by The Ella Project and moderated by journalist and documentarian Lolis Eric Elie, this panel explores how artists and culture bearers have helped carry the city forward through disaster, recovery, and a rapidly changing landscape. Topics include gentrification, affordable housing, the insurance crisis, and more.

The evening begins with a reception from 5-6 p.m., followed by the panel discussion from 6-8 p.m.. The event is free, open to the public, and will be livestreamed in partnership with the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

UPDATED: Swimming Upstream: The Katrina Monologues

Friday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. & Saturday, Aug. 30 at 5 p.m.

Mahalia Jackson Theater

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Ashé Cultural Arts Center proudly announces the return of Swimming Upstream: The Katrina Monologues to the Mahalia Jackson Theater. This powerful stage production shares the true stories of women navigating the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita—stories of survival, displacement, return, and transformation—through spoken word, song, and movement.

Originally produced by Carol Bebelle and V (formerly known as Eve Ensler), Swimming Upstream was first performed at the Superdome to mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Co-written by a collective of women artists and activists from New Orleans, the work uplifts voices too often left out of mainstream recovery narratives—voices that not only endured the storm but helped shape the city’s post-disaster renaissance.

The ensemble includes cultural icons and community leaders including Troi Bechet and Sekyiwa Shakur; revered performers like Joanna Hale and Jennifer Pagan; and community voices such as Monique Domingue, Simone Immanuel, Australia James, and Karel Sloane.

Click here for tickets.