NEW ORLEANS —The City of New Orleans announced that it will hold a lottery for qualified artists and vendors to obtain permits necessary to sell art in Jackson Square in the French Quarter on Saturday, February 27, 2016.
City code requires artists who sell art on or around Jackson Square to obtain an Occupational License and Mayoralty Permit from the Department of Finance’s Bureau of Revenue. Eligible permits are either Artist A permits to sell art on and in the vicinity of Jackson Square or Artist B permits to sell art only in Pirates Alley.
The Bureau of Revenue will conduct the public lottery for new Artist A permits at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 27, in the Bureau of Revenue lobby, Room 1W15 on the first floor of City Hall. Applicants must be present during the lottery, possess a valid photo ID and be prepared to pay $175.25 in the form of a certified check or money order payable to the City of New Orleans to obtain their permit. For applicants over the age of 65, the fee is $25.25.
Only qualified applicants are eligible to obtain a Jackson Square (Artist A) permit. Qualified applicants, as defined by City code, are those persons who either have a current Pirates Alley (Artist B) permit or have an application for a new Jackson Square (Artist A) permit on file with the Bureau of Revenue for at least 30 days. Therefore, only those applicants who applied for a new Jackson Square permit on or before Saturday, January 2, or current Pirates Alley permit holders will be eligible to enter the 2016 permit lottery.
Qualified applicants seeking a Jackson Square permit including current Pirates Alley permit holders who wish to acquire a Jackson Square permit, must apply in person between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 22 through Wednesday, February 24, at the Department of Finance’s Bureau of Revenue located in City Hall at 1300 Perdido St., Room 1W15. All applicants must present a valid photo ID. Those Pirates Alley permit holders who seek to upgrade to a Jackson Square permit must also present their current Artist B permit.
Individuals wishing to become eligible for the 2017 Jackson Square permit lottery should submit their application to the Bureau of Revenue on or before Saturday, December 31.
