New Orleans, the birthplace of Mardi Gras, is synonymous with big, blockbuster parties like Dick Clark's Rocking Year's Eve.
So, why did the city pull out this year?
Louisiana's Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser joined WWL's Newell Normand on his show Thursday, where he revealed New Orleans has a busy schedule of tourism ahead of it.
Nungesser hyped up the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, which he said 'gives us a great chance to meet a lot of great folks.' From Louisiana beignets to seafood and overall hospitality, the parade is a fantastic way to introduce the world to the area's culinary and cultural traditions.
Same for the Sugar Bowl, which Nungesser said is another big tourism boom for the region.
"Any chance to have Louisiana front and center is a great opportunity," he said.
But there's one thing New Orleans won't have: An appearance in the national television phenomenon known as Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve. "The deliverables have to make sense for us to make money," Nungesser said, adding that at one point, New Orleans' appearance in the event brought a $2M return on investment.
"The people who say it wasn't a good return on investment ... it's not true," Nungesser said, adding. "But we've got to take the politics out of it."
New Orleans dropped out several years ago, at the time it was not because of crime or because of money. The city dropped out because of politics, Nungesser said.
The skirmish began when Mayor Latoya Cantrell demanded singer and Louisiana native Lauren Daigle be pulled from the show three years ago after she had participated in a pop-up concert in the French Quarter despite COVID restrictions.
"The mayor told us she could not perform in New Orleans, so we rented a big boat and we were going to do the show from Gretna with New Orleans in the background. She got wind of it, so she called Dick Clark and said 'if you let her on TV' ... She incited a riot and all these horrible things... That was unacceptable and so we pulled out."
Things changed and the city decided to pull out this year because of investment concerns, but Nungesser is optimistic the show could go on again.
It could get even better and feature the entire state, he said. "It's absolutely worth it. We've got to take the politics out of it and let the experts put on a program that benefit all of Louisiana."