It’s Tennessee’s birthday week and we’re celebrating like never before!

• For the past 39 years, the folks at the Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Fest have been producing one of the best literary festivals in the region around the time of the writer’s birthday, March 26.

• We always celebrate with them because part of our FQJ mission is to honor our neighborhood’s stellar literary heritage by publishing pieces about local writers, by local writers, and, of course, amazing book reviews.

• This year, we’re fulfilling a long-time dream and collaborating with the Tennessee Williams Fest! FQJ has created a dedicated section of our journal where we’ll be publishing the winners of their annual writing contests from now on!

• We’ve just launched it and published the work of the winners of the 2025 Fiction, Very Short Fiction and Poetry writing contests.

• We look forward to building a library of winners in the coming years with help from our dear friends at the Tennessee Williams Fest!

Photo above: The 2022 Stella Shouting Contest, the official kick-off for the TWF. This year it takes place on Sunday, March 23. Contestant signup begins at 1:30pm (they take the first 25) and contest starts at 2pm.

Scroll down for our Don’t Miss list of events and check out our French Quarter Events page - you’ll find a stellar array of festive happenings, all in one place.

Download this year’s stunning TWF program (with cover photo by Frank Relle) by clicking above! You can access their website and register for programs and events here.

Register for the 28th annual Tennessee Williams Scholars Conference here.

Founded in 1995, the conference offers a full day of sessions featuring lively conversations among highly acclaimed Williams scholars from across the US and abroad.

Hosted at HNOC's Williams Research Center in conjunction with the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, the TWSC coincides with the publication of the Tennessee Williams Annual Review, founded in 1998.

Click anywhere above to see our new dedicated TWF section and access the work of these winners!

We just want to thank our Community Cornerstone Sponsor Occasional Wife!

FQJ’s very modest business model calls for only 52 businesses, organizations or individuals to pitch in as annual sponsors to help us produce quality local journalism - which is sadly getting rarer by the day.

At FQJ, we invite sponsors to partner with us - folks who have like-minded quality values and want to strengthen the French Quarter community. That’s why we’re thrilled to work with Occasional Wife!

Of course, we’re regular customers at their shop at 624 Dumaine Street - they never fail to captivate and entertain us! But check out their other locations too!

Get YOUR sparkle on with The Occasional Wife’s French Quarter store collection! And read our story about how to declutter your own home - from the OW pros!

We’re extremely grateful for these folks who recently contributed to support FQJ!

• Frances Swigart Steg

• Clay Brinster

• Jamie Skladzien

and…

• Kelly and Linda Baker who have come aboard as one of the sponsors of the new Quarter Kaleidoscope section we’re launching next week!

  (you can be one too - just contact us!)

  Why your support is crucial:

FQJ is technically a for-profit LLC (cue laughter from our accountant here). We’re committed to being firewall-free so people around the world can access our stories that focus on our French Quarter community, our culture and our people.

Our little LLC isn’t eligible for most grants. We pay our exceptional team members and expenses only through the support of Annual Sponsors (here’s the list, please thank them!) and readers – like you – who support our mission of telling authentic French Quarter narratives, past and present.

We can’t do it without you. Thank you!

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Danny Barker Festival

March 21 - March 23, Friday - Sunday
New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade

~ Music all day, interviews, photo exhibit, food!

~ complete schedule here!

Rhythm & Roses Concert Series Returns!

Sunday, March 23 through Thursday, May 1

Historic BK House and Gardens, 1113 Chartres Street

Rhythm & Roses is back for its highly anticipated 2025 season, bringing real New Orleans music to the rose-filled garden of the BK House. This beloved live music concert series showcases the best of jazz, blues, funk, and folk, celebrating the city’s rich musical traditions in an unforgettable outdoor setting.

🎵 Join us for an incredible lineup:

🌹 March 27 – Cha Wa
🌹 April 3 – Yusa
🌹 April 17 – Amanda Shaw
🌹 April 24 – Amina Scott
🌹 May 1 – Kristin Diable & Radiobird String Quartet

Enjoy live music under the stars, a breathtaking garden atmosphere, and the soulful sounds of New Orleans musicians. Get your tickets now!

Marigny Opera Ballet presents “Dusk”

Thurs. - Saturday, March 20-22 – 8pm
725 Saint Ferdinand Street

~ Tickets

~ Original song and dance performed by local artists and culture bearers!

~ For the second program in its 11th season, New Orleans’ Marigny Opera Ballet presents the premiere of a contemporary ballet by internationally acclaimed choreographer Cassi Abranches.

~ The new, contemporary ballet will be accompanied by an original score written and performed live by New Orleans’ admired indie rock group, People Museum.

53rd Annual St. Joseph’s Day Parade

Saturday, March 22, 6pm

~ From their FB Event page: Come Sing, Dance and even be Kissed by an Italian as over 80 Maids parade and 500 Italian-Americans March through the French Quarter In Celebration of the Feast of St Joseph!

~ See beautiful Maids, a Gondola float and a meticulously crafted rolling St Joseph Altar as our ethnic organization parades in honor of St Joseph granting an end to the famine in Sicily!

See the parade route map on our FQ Events page!