Photo by Infrogmation of New Orleans.

The Best New Year’s Eve Parties in New Orleans

There’s never a dull moment in New Orleans, and that fact becomes doubly true on New Year’s Eve. Live music is the soul of the Crescent City, and damn near every artist in town will be firing on all cylinders when 2016 gives way to 2017 this Saturday. We’ve compiled a list of some of the biggest December 31 shows around town, plus a few non-musical events for good measure.

The following list is just a non-comprehensive primer on what’s to come this New Year’s Eve. For a full rundown of shows around New Orleans, check out our Events Listings.

Galactic at Tipitina’s New Orleans funk rock icons Galactic will return to their favorite room for their annual New Year’s Eve extravaganza. While the show is scheduled for the midpoint between the band’s Halloween and Mardi Gras shows at the same venue, there’s no reason to sleep on this one. It’s usually one hell of a party in its own right. Boyfriend is set to open. Tickets are still on sale.

Pretty Lights at the Mardi Gras World Ballroom – Electronic music superstar Pretty Lights has been calling New Orleans home for a couple of years now, but this will be his first time ringing in the New Year in the Big Easy. He won’t be alone either. Despite being known as an electronic artist, Pretty Lights will be taking the stage with a full live band that includes a few New Orleans musicians like drummer Alvin Ford Jr. It’s a two-night run as well, so fans will get to have their fun on December 30 and December 31. Openers include Curren$y with The Soul Rebels on the 30th and Emancipator on the 31st. Tickets for both nights are still on sale.

Pretty Lights at the Sugar Mill in New Orleans in 2011.

Pretty Lights at the Sugar Mill in New Orleans in 2011.

Foundation of Funk & Dumpstaphunk at The Joy Theater – New Orleans is the birthplace of funk, so there’s few better ways to celebrate the New Year than partying with two of the genre’s godfathers: George Porter Jr. and Zigaboo Modeliste of The Meters. They’ll be teaming up with New Mastersounds’ Eddie Roberts and Greyboy Allstars’ Robert Walter for Foundation of Funk, who will co-headline the night with the Ivan Neville-led funk powerhouse Dumpstaphunk. Tickets are still on sale.

The Revivalists at the Orpheum Theater – 2016 has been a big year for The Revivalists. The band has performed on the Today Show, Conan and the Ellen Degeneres Show, and their 2015 single “Wish I Knew You” has turned into a bona fide radio hit. The Revivalists are also nominated for a whopping five Best of the Beat Awards, including Artist of the Year. Considering their many accomplishments over the past 12 months, the group will most likely close out 2016 with a bang. Tickets are still on sale.

The_Revivalists_Jazz_Fest_2016_Willow_Haley

The Revivalists at Jazz Fest 2016. Photo by Willow Haley.

Big Night New Orleans – The annual Big Night New Orleans gathering will return to the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Cowboy Mouth and Big Sam’s Funky Nation are among the acts on the bill, and the all-inclusive party is set to feature multiple dance rooms, open bars and buffets. Tickets are on sale here.

Rebirth Brass Band at the Howlin Wolf – Rebirth Brass Band has made their New Year’s Eve show at the Howlin’ Wolf something of a tradition in recent years. The Grammy-winning New Orleans icons will take the stage once again on December 31, with an opening set from the Hot 8 Brass Band. The party also features an open bar until 2am. Tickets are still on sale.

The Soul Rebels at d.b.a. – Another world famous brass band will take the stage when The Soul Rebels headline Frenchmen Street favorite d.b.a. On the 31st. 2016 saw the band criss-cross the country, often collaborating with a variety of big name hip-hop acts (they’ll be with Curren$y on the 30th before Pretty Lights too). Up-and-coming rock outfit The Stoop Kids are scheduled to open the night. Tickets are still on sale.

Amy Schumer at the Mahalia Jackson Theater – Amy Schumer is one of the most recognizable names in comedy these days, so it’s a bit of a surprise that she chose New Orleans for her New Year’s Eve show. Then again, maybe it isn’t. According to her longtime friend and touring partner Mark Normand, Schumer is huge fan of the Crescent City and vacations here frequently. Maybe she just wants to party here like everyone else. Schumer’s show was originally booked at the Smoothie King Center, but it has since been moved to the much-more-manageable Mahalia Jackson. Tickets are still on sale.

Amy Schumer.

Amy Schumer.

ThunderFunk Revue at Gasa Gasa – Musicians from two of New Orleans’ most popular young (and apparently, sexy) acts—Sexual Thunder and Sexy Dex & The Fresh—will join forces as a supergroup called ThunderFunk Revue on December 31. Unsurprisingly, the show is set to go down in one of the city’s most popular young venues, the eclectic Uptown haunt Gasa Gasa. Tickets are still on sale.

New Orleans Suspects & Glen David Andrews at The Maison – Frenchmen Street will play host to countless shenanigans on New Year’s Eve, and The Maison will be no different. Local rock heroes The New Orleans Suspects will kick things off at 10pm, and Glen David Andrews is slated to follow at midnight. Tickets for the show will be available at the door.

Allstate Sugar Bowl Parade and Fan Fest – The Allstate Sugar Bowl will, of course, be going down in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1. That means all sorts of activities are planned for the day before, which just happens to be New Year’s Eve. A parade will roll down Decatur Street at 3:30pm, and the annual Fan Fest will offer free music and activities from noon to 6pm.

Stop the Bayou Bridge Pipeline Fundraiser – Thousands of local activists are mobilizing to stop the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, a planned 160 mile oil pipeline that will run through Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin. In order to raise money for their efforts, they will be selling raw and charbroiled oysters, cocktails and beer, patches and posters along Bayou St. John on New Year’s Eve. It’s an early event (noon to 4pm) so it won’t conflict with any late night plans. Look for them by Cabrini Bridge.

Good Old Fashioned New Year’s Fireworks – The biggest party on New Year’s Eve will undoubtedly take place around Jackson Square in the French Quarter, where thousands will gather to watch the ball drop on top of Jax Brewery before a fireworks display lights up the Mississippi River. It’s a New Orleans tradition that is bound to attract a large crowd. It’s also free and open to the public, so it’s not a bad option if paying money to see music isn’t your preferred method of ringing in the new year.