This weekend in New Orleans offers empowering events, intoxicating spectacles and spiritual feasts. Celebrate diversity with New Orleans Pride, and embrace girl power at Festigals. Indulge in live performances of Reefer Madness and Bourbon & Burlesque showcase forbidden pleasures. After all of that, cleanse your spirit at a ritual voodoo blessing and feast in honor of St. John.
All Weekend
1. New Orleans Pride – The official New Orleans Pride weekend celebrates the New Orleans LGBT community and its allies, with a Pride Kick-off Party Friday night at Boomtown Casino, Family Day Saturday afternoon at Duncan Plaza (next to City Hall), and Pride Brunch on Sunday. The Pride Parade kicks off Saturday evening at 7 p.m., making its way through the CBD, French Quarter and Marigny neighborhoods. Parties and more events are scheduled throughout the weekend. See the full schedule of New Orleans Pride events.
2. Festigals – Since 2011, Festigals has brought together women from across New Orleans and around the country for a weekend of female empowerment. The celebration blends fun and festivities with personal and professional development, featuring charity luncheons, educational seminars, and of course, the Stiletto Stroll. For a full event schedule and ticket information, visit Festigals.org.
3. Reefer Madness – This weekend, Reefer Madness overtakes New Orleans. Mid City Theatre presents a live musical comedy adaptation of the cult classic film from 1936 this Friday & Saturday night at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. Not for the faint of heart, the production features adult humor, religious parody, suggested drug use, suggested violence and suggested sexual explicitness. General admission tickets are available in advance for $20.
Saturday, June 21
4. Bourbon & Burlesque – The Contemporary Arts Center hosts their annual Bourbon & Burlesque event this Saturday night from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m. The event features local New Orleans burlesque troupes The Billion Dollar Baby Dolls, Fleur de Tease, and the Storyville Starlettes, as well as aerial performances and body painting demonstrations. Tickets, which include complimentary food from Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House and bourbon-based cocktails, are available in advance for $70 general admission or $40 for CAC members.
Sunday, June 22
5. Feast of St. John Ritual and Celebration – Priestess Miriam and the Voodoo Spiritual Temple (828 N. Rampart Street) host a celebration and ritual blessing in honor of the Feast of St. John this Sunday at 6 p.m. The event, which celebrates the most important feast day in the voodoo religion, features musicians as well as food and drink. A $25 donation to the Voodoo Spiritual Temple is requested from attendees.
