NEW ORLEANS – NOLAxNOLA will return Sept. 24 through Oct. 4 with more than 300 performances at 50 venues across New Orleans, along with a music industry conference, free concerts and a new ticket package offering access to selected shows throughout the 11-day event.
Now in its sixth year, NOLAxNOLA began in 2021 as an effort to help New Orleans venues and musicians return to work while large music festivals remained postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The name NOLAxNOLA comes from the idea of New Orleanians helping New Orleanians,” said Sig Greenebaum, co-founder of NOLAxNOLA. “That means locals and people far away who love New Orleans culture, music, food and how we celebrate life. A big part of that is the fact that the venues work together, in a non-combative way to make NOLAxNOLA a special experience, and a successful annual event.”
Organizers said the event has distributed $1,058,700 to local venues, musicians and cultural artists since its launch. The New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Foundation, an annual sponsor of the event, provided $200,000 in venue funding for NOLAxNOLA in 2025, according to the foundation’s grant records.
More Than 300 Performances
This year’s programming includes concerts featuring Irma Thomas, Cyril Neville, Rebirth Brass Band, Tank and the Bangas, Dawn Richard, John Boutte and other New Orleans artists.
The schedule begins Sept. 24 with The Rumble playing P-Funk with Jamison Ross, Ian Neville and DJ Soul Sister at Tipitina’s. Other highlights include Cyril Neville Plays the Dead with Omari Neville & the Fuel and guests Sept. 25; an All Hail Big Chief Monk Boudreaux show hosted by Paul Sanchez at Tipitina’s and an Irma Thomas and Preservation Hall Jazz Band matinee Sept. 26; and Rebirth Brass Band with the Mardi Gras Indians at Rabbit Hole Sept. 29.
Snug Harbor will mark its 40th anniversary Oct. 1 with the Snug Harbor All Stars. Oct. 2 programming includes Erica Falls Presents A Night of Marvin Gaye at Chickie Wah Wah; River Eckert Generations of Groove at Tipitina’s with guests including Cyril Neville, Omari Neville, Dave Malone, Reggie Scanlan, John Boutte, Deacon John, Jelly Joseph and Glen David Andrews; and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra with Tank and the Bangas and Dawn Richard at the Orpheum Theater.
The scheduled programming concludes Oct. 4 with events including a Loyola School of Music showcase at Gasa Gasa.
NOLAxNoCover will also return, providing free performances at participating venues throughout the event. Organizers said the program presented 100 free shows during the 2025 NOLAxNOLA celebration.
Music Business Conference Returns
NOLAxNOLA Talks, the event’s music industry, culture and business conference, will return for its third year Oct. 1 and 2 at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. The conference will feature eight panels aimed at connecting the local music community with the national music industry, along with The Idea Village’s Metronome Pitch Day on Oct. 2. Metronome is a 10-week accelerator for businesses operating at the intersection of music, entertainment and technology that expanded in 2026 to include culture-tech companies. The program provides participating entrepreneurs with industry mentors, workshops and business coaching.
Presented by Relix Magazine, NOLAxNOLA Talks will be offered as a NOLAxNoCover event and streamed on the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s YouTube channel. NOLAxNOLA also serves as the kickoff to New Orleans Music Month, an October initiative focused on music business, education, innovation and live performance.
New Programs Added for 2026
Among this year’s additions is a Sept. 26 reunion celebrating 106.7 The End, the New Orleans alternative rock radio station that went off the air during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Scheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Howlin’ Wolf, the event will bring together former station staff and other radio and media professionals who worked in New Orleans before Katrina, along with a free performance by Supagroup and Carmine P. Filthy.
NOLAxNOLA is also introducing NOLAxNOLA Curated, an 11-show ticket package offering admission to one selected performance each night of the event. The $175 package, which organizers value at $300, includes a dedicated concierge, NOLAxNOLA shirt and poster.
The Curated schedule includes performances at Tipitina’s, Joy Theater, The Broadside, d.b.a., Rabbit Hole, Blue Nile, Gasa Gasa, Le Bon Temps Roule and Café Istanbul, with artists including Corey Henry Funktet, Rebirth Brass Band, Will Blades, Ari Teitel, Jamison Ross, Pete Murano Band and James Singleton with Johnny Vidacovich, Ashlar Evans, Brad Walker and Dr. Sick. One Sept. 27 selection had not been announced as of the event’s Sept. 10 release.
Supporting the Local Music Economy
The citywide event is organized with support from New Orleans & Company, the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Foundation and other partners. Organizers said NOLAxNOLA is intended to showcase local musicians and cultural artists while generating business for venues and the broader creative economy.
“When leisure visitors, special events, meetings, conferences and conventions come to New Orleans, they generate significant economic impact throughout the state of Louisiana and across the broader region,” said Walt Leger III, president and CEO of New Orleans & Company.
The New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Foundation has sponsored NOLAxNOLA annually since its inception, providing funding to support artists as well as technicians, sound engineers, equipment staff, managers and participating venues.
“We have been strategic in our commitment to NOLAxNOLA and are proud that the doors we have opened will continue to elevate the culture, strengthen the New Orleans economy, and ensure a positive impact is felt by those who embody the culture, as well as those who come to enjoy the culture,” said Lisa D. Alexis, president and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Foundation.
