Through Monday, September 5, Southern Decadence will host its 50th annual celebration in New Orleans. Though the star of the show will be the parade on Sunday, September 4, the weekend features a plethora of parties and more. The French Quarters will be flooded with thousands of LBGQTIA+ supporters for five days, 24 hours a day.
Southern Decadence began in 1972 thanks to a diverse group of friends with different racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities and sexualities. It started as something small among them but quickly grew into a full-scale festival that is a testament to New Orleans’ unique ability to celebrate differences. Recent attendance has broken all records, with over 275,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender participants, and an economic impact estimated to be in excess of $285 million.
Southern Decadence is one of the top five annual events in New Orleans, along with Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Essence Festival and French Quarter Festival.
The Southern Decadence Walking Parade will take place on Sunday, September 4, at 2 p.m. The parade starts at the Golden Lantern near Decatur and Barracks Streets and eventually ends up near the Bourbon Pub on the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann Streets. The grand marshals for 2022 are Rikki Redd and Danny Girl. The official colors are gold and red and the official theme is “Jazz. Burlesque. Decadent. New Orleans.”
The Bourbon Street Extravaganza concert has been canceled due to monkeypox concerns, but other festivities will still go on as planned. Highlights over the weekend include:
• Bearracuda | September 2 at the Joy Theater
• Horse Meat Disco | September 3 at the Ace Hotel
• Drag Brunch River Cruise | September 3 on the Creole Queen
• Hit IT | All Weekend, locations TBA
• Bette Bathhouse and Beyond | September 4 at 2372 St. Claude Ave.
• Bearadise Ball | September 3, location TBA
• Pansy Division + Dog Park Dissidents | September 2 at Phoenix Bar
• SoDec Rooftop Kickoff by GrrlSpot x Monkey Board | September 2 at Monkey Board
• SoDec 2022 by GrrlSpot | September 3 at The Howlin’ Wolf
• Decadence Drag Brunch | September 3 at Brennan’s
• Britney Spears Burlesque Brunch | September 4 at Commons Club
• LGBTEA | September 3 at Le Salon at The Windsor Court Hotel
• High Tea, No Shade – A Drag Tea | September 4, Davenport Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel
No festival in New Orleans would be complete without nightlife and bar hopping. From Thursday to Monday of Labor Day weekend, Bourbon Pub (801 Bourbon St.) will be open 24/7, hosting events and tons of dancing. Bourbon Pub’s balcony will open at noon from Thursday through Monday to celebrate the festival and provide a great viewing spot for parade watchers. Bourbon Pub will kick off its annual Southern Decadence celebration on Thursday, September 1, with a Battle of the Bulge contest, beginning at midnight with DJ Dollabill and ending with dancing until the sun comes up.
The Southern Decadence Walking Parade will take place on Sunday, September 2 at 2 p.m. The parade starts at the Golden Lantern near Royal and Barracks Streets. The parade will proceed down Royal Street, turn right on Dumaine Street, turn left on Dauphine Street, make a quick loop on St. Louis Street at N. Rampart before turning right on Burgundy Street. Then, it heads to Orleans Street, turns back on N. Rampart Street and loops around at St. Phillip Street before ending at The Bourbon Pub and Oz at St. Ann and Bourbon Streets. The party continues at the Bourbon Pub into the late hours with DJ Kimberly S.
For updates please visit the Southern Decadence website here.
