New Orleans Southern Decadence will be this weekend taking place from Friday August 30, through Sunday September 1.
Southern Decadence includes the Bourbon Street Extravaganza, a parade and other events happening.
The city also announced that there will be some traffic restrictions and road closures going on this weekend.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the City of New Orleans sent a news release below:
MAYOR CANTRELL, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS PREPARE FOR SOUTHERN DECADENCE
NEW ORLEANS — Today, Mayor Cantrell and City officials announced public safety measures in place ahead of Southern Decadence and the Labor Day weekend, which are expected to bring a large number of visitors to New Orleans. Residents are encouraged to prepare for heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic and to celebrate safely throughout the weekend.
Events associated with Southern Decadence will take place in New Orleans Friday, Aug. 30 through Sunday, Sept. 1, with the Bourbon Street Extravaganza on Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and the Grand Marshal Parade on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional details about festival events are available at southerndecadence.net.
The New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) will activate the City’s Emergency Operations Center, staffed by representatives from public safety agencies, to monitor the weekend’s events. Light towers, bollards and extra public safety personnel will be strategically placed throughout the French Quarter. NOHSEP will also be in contact with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the State Police’s Fusion Center to ensure public safety.
Traffic Restrictions
In anticipation of large crowds, the New Orleans Police Department and the Louisiana State Police will restrict traffic to ensure the safety of pedestrians. Bourbon Street from Canal to Toulouse streets will be closed to vehicles from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. overnight Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In the Lower Quarter, Bourbon Street from Toulouse to St. Philip streets and the 700 and 800 blocks of Dumaine, St. Ann, Orleans, and St. Peter streets will be closed to vehicles each night from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. Additional intermittent street closures might be required as crowd size warrants.
The 800 and 900 blocks of Bourbon Street are currently under construction. Like the demobilization for Mardi Gras, the contractor will completely demobilize all labor and materials, including fencing, from the site and temporarily backfill any trenches by close of business on Wednesday, Aug. 28, to minimize the impact for Southern Decadence. The contractor will resume operations on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Grand Marshal Parade
Street closures will also be in place along the route of the Grand Marshal Parade in the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 1. The parade will begin at 2 p.m. at 1239 Royal Street and will proceed along the following route:- START : 1239 Royal St. (Golden Lantern)
- Proceed down Royal Street
- Right on St. Louis Street
- Right on N. Rampart Street
- Right on Toulouse Street
- Left on Burgundy Street
- Left on Orleans Street
- Right on N. Rampart Street
- Right on St. Philip Street
- Right on Dauphine Street
- Left on St. Ann Street
- Left on Bourbon Street
- END: Bourbon and St. Philip streets
The lead and tail of the parade will be tracked in real time at routewise.nola.gov.
Parking Restrictions
From 2 p.m. to 4 a.m. overnight Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there will be temporary No Parking Zones in place on Bourbon Street from Canal to St. Philip streets and on the 700 and 800 blocks of St. Ann, Orleans, and St. Peter streets. Residents and visitors are reminded to always follow posted signs. Parking enforcement personnel will be monitoring for illegal parking:- Do not block hydrants, driveways and sidewalks.
- Do not park within 20 feet of a crosswalk, intersection, or stop sign.
- Park in the direction of travel on one-way streets and with the right wheel to the curb on two-way streets.
- Call 504-658-8100 for 24-hour parking enforcement.
Transportation Impacts
RTA routes may experience delays or detours during the associated events. All RTA service alerts, updates, and detours can also be accessed by downloading the RTA’s GoMobile app. To learn more, visit www.norta.com or call Ride Line at 504-248-3900.
Safety Reminders
As always during major special events, residents and visitors are encouraged to take care in large crowds and to report suspicious activity to public safety officials. The National Weather Service anticipates high heat index values over the weekend. Residents and visitors are reminded to stay hydrated and to take frequent breaks in the shade. Special attention should be given to young children, the elderly and people with medical needs.
Details on special events are available at ready.nola.gov/events. Residents and visitors are also encouraged to follow us on social media @nolaready and sign up for emergency alerts.
