Things to do in December in New Orleans

Updated: 13 marzo 2024

The following post provides a list of things to do in New Orleans in December, updated for 2024.

We include family-friendly, nighttime, and free activities.

As local tour guides, we compiled this list based on our own experiences, but also answering your questions.

We lead hundreds of people each week through the streets of New Orleans and on every tour you ask us about things in the city.

We also grabbed ideas from the roughly 40k members of our popular NOLA Travel Tips Facebook group.

December in New Orleans Tips

The group consists of locals, like our tour guides, expats, veteran travelers, as well as newbies to New Orleans.

You don't need to join in order to read the posts, comments, and recommendations.

Check out the group once you are finished reading this post. A link can be found at the end of the post.


 TOP 10

In this section, we cover the ten most interesting and fun activities available in New Orleans this December.

Don’t forget the things that make New Orleans a year-round destination! Check out 

Many of these items are already included for free with the purchase of a tourist discount pass.


1. Take a Sightseeing Tour

We offer several different pay-what-you-wish walking tours in New Orleans, including one in honor of the holiday season.

Our Creole Christmas tour covers a variety of notable sites such as Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Santa’s Quarters, and more.

Grayline Tours offers a Christmas Eve Bonfire Express Tour that takes you to see the traditional Christmas activity of lighting huge bonfires along the Mississippi River.

They also offer a Jingling Through the Crescent Tour which takes you through some of the most popular and historic sites in the city.

Free Tours by Foot - New Orleans Walking ToursExcelenteFree Tours by Foot - New Orleans Walking Tours4.9 Basado en 1917 reseñas deVer todos los comentarios danos tu opinión enKeisha’sKeisha’s ★★★★★ I recently went on the NOLA food tour with Kayla as our guide, and it was an absolute delight! Kayla was not only extremely friendly, but her knowledge and entertaining personality made the experience even more enjoyable. The team even accommodated me by promptly sending directions to the next stop when my food order at the French Market took longer than expected. However, the highlight of the tour for me was definitely Johnny’s Po’Boy – a must-visit spot!Bryan C.Bryan C. ★★★★★ Kayla did an awesome job explaining the food and culture of New Orleans. We also stopped at places I never would have found on my own without the tour.Natalie Van H.Natalie Van H. ★★★★★ My husband and I did the garden district tour with Sarah and she was fabulous! Funny and knowledgeable, and also honest in her portrayal of the wonderful history and culture of New Orleans along with the realities of enslavement and civil rights history, which is critical to understanding the city of New Orleans. She did a great combination of general history, pop culture history, and architectural history - great tour.Renee CRenee C ★★★★★ It was our first time in NOLA. If you plan to visit the French quarter, we highly recommend Free Tours by Foot.We did 3 tours in total. French Quarter tour and Voodoo tour were both by Sandy, Ghost tour was by Andrew. Some things you can learn online, but it's way better and more fun when you have guides like Sandy and Andrew to interact with and be educated by. It really felt like they were your friends who took the time to tour you around their town.We're happy we did these tours. Had we stayed longer, we probably would have done the other NOLA tours they offered. 😉Julie W.Julie W. ★★★★★ Can’t say enough about this company. Fantastic communication, friendly guides and lots of great information for us first-time visitors. We took the French Quarter tour, Garden District tour, and the Voodoo tour. Kayla, Daniel and Sandy were all terrific. So glad we chose these tours.Katerina K.Katerina K. ★★★★★ we did the voodoo tour with roby and let me tell you he was the kindest, realest and sweetest person i have ever met. He was very wise and i personally learned a lot from this experience!!! Roby truly deserves the world!D GD G ★★★★★ We had such a great time with Kayla LeMaire on 3/15, taking in her French Quarter Food Tour. If you contact Free Tours by Foot and find out what day she's giving the tours she will provide you with so much history and fact about the food culture in the NOLA area. One of the most enjoyable things we did on our vacation.Ravi V.Ravi V. ★★★★★ Great tour! Sandy was a great guide and very informative. Highly recommend!Kayla L.Kayla L. ★★★★★ I did the voodoo tour with Sandy and it was great! She was incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining. I learned a ton and got to see some interesting parts of the city. I highly recommend!Roman L.Roman L. ★★★★★ We did the French Quarter Food Tour and the French Quarter tours with Kayla, and we thoroughly enjoyed both. Kayla was an excellent tour guide, very knowledgeable, and a wonderful storyteller. She also gave us some excellent food and dining recommendations. 👍Brooke B.Brooke B. ★★★★★ We had Andrew as our tour guide and he was FANTASTIC! A local who was so knowledgeable and funny. The tour flew by in the best way as we were so engaged the whole time. Highly recommend doing a ghost tour in New Orleans as it really helps you to learn more about the city and see more of the French quarter.Penny L.Penny L. ★★★★★ We took a French Quarter tour with Sandy who was fantastic. It was about 90 minutes long, very interesting, informative. I loved it.Sara T.Sara T. ★★★★★ Roni was awesome. Loved the Food Tour. We really enjoyed the stories and the food tastings!jon P.jon P. ★★★★★ Sandy with the voodoo tour was great, the best of 4 tours we took. Sandy shared a ton of information about the religion, all while telling some of the best stories we heard all week with a nice dose of sardonic wit that had us laughing out loud while we learned way more than we bargained for. A must do.Samantha B.Samantha B. ★★★★★ Had a great history walking tour of the French quarter lead by Andrew F. He was super knowledgeable of the history of the city and gave us great recommendations for food, shopping and listening to jazz music.P & V K.P & V K. ★★★★★ We did 2 tours with Daniel as our guide and they were wonderful! He is super knowledgeable, entertaining and amusing. I don't think there was a question he couldn't answer. If you get Daniel as your guide you will not be disappointed. Communication was also excellent.Michael A.Michael A. ★★★★★ Went on the voodoo tour with sandy!!! It was great with loads of accurate information!! Defn recommend when in NOLA!!!Guadalupe B.Guadalupe B. ★★★★★ Andre F was wonderful & gave such great factsMatthew P.Matthew P. ★★★★★ We took a Free Tours by the Foot with High Priest Robi after we got a recommendation from our concierge, who said (and I quote): "The only tour worth taking is if you go with High Priest Robi." High praise! And Robi did NOT disappoint! He was the first tour/person we met on our NoLA trip, and he was incredible! Excellent sense of humor, a little brash but always with a lot of love, and an astounding amount of knowledge about vodou and NoLA on the whole. Plus, after the tour, he gave us a TON of recommendations for our stay, that were the legit inside scoop! If you want a real NoLA experience, you gotta go with High Priest Robi!Chad A. M.Chad A. M. ★★★★★ Did both the haunted FQ and the Gardens district with an Andrew. (We had both Andrews) Both were great, super informative, down to earth and funnyI would highly recommend. And the pay what you want model is awesome as well.Asheema V.Asheema V. ★★★★★ Lily G.Lily G. ★★★★★ Sandy is great! We did the French quarter tour and she knows her stuff. I loved the dry humor and little facts about New Orleans.Diya J.Diya J. ★★★★★ Sandy gave a great tour today!! She knew lots of different unique facts about the French Quarter and was really funny and engaging.sharon W.sharon W. ★★★★★ We did the ghost tour in New Orleans lead by Roni. He knew lots about the history of NOLA and really seemed to enjoy sharing it. Was one of the highlights of our trip.Sara B.Sara B. ★★★★★ Tours by both Andrew F. and Kayla S. were amazing!! They made our trip to New Orleans. The tours were really interesting, they were adapt at answering all our questions, and they gave a ton of local tips- like the best places to eat. Highly recommend!Liane J.Liane J. ★★★★★ Sandy gave a great tour of the French Quarter. Really great history. Sassy but Respectful!!😁Darcy M.Darcy M. ★★★★★ We did the New Orleans Ghost Tour. Lisa was an amazing storyteller. Fascinating and educational but also creepy and fun!Erica N.Erica N. ★★★★★ We did 2 tours with Evian (ghost and voodoo). Amazing tour guide!!! Evian is well versed in New Orleans/French Quarter history and had a way with words that kept the information fresh and entertaining. You can tell Evian cares about the history and people of this area. Would definitely recommend booking a tour with Evian 10/10.Lila D.Lila D. ★★★★★ We had the most incredible ghost tour with Lisa! She was hilarious and super on top of everything. We learned so much from her. Highly highly recommend!L GL G ★★★★★ French Quarter tour was awesome! Thank you Sandy!Mitchell D.Mitchell D. ★★★★★ Did the Cocktail tour with Sean and he was an excellent guide. Great recommendations and information. He had good rapport with the staff at the bars so you felt welcomed. Highly recommend this tour with Sean!A AA A ★★★★★ Had a very entertaining tour with Priest Robi! Learned a lot and would recommend the voodoo tour to anyone who is interested to learn more about religion.Fiona C.Fiona C. ★★★★★ Had a brilliant tour of the French Quarter with Sandy. Knowledgable, funny and a great length! Absolutely recommend to anyone going on a trip to NOLA.Amy Z.Amy Z. ★★★★★ We had our Voodoo tour with Robi and he was amazing! He debunks so many misconceptions about his religion perpetuated by Hollywood stereotypes. He was so much fun and so entertaining, too! I heartily recommend his tour! 💕Jessica D.Jessica D. ★★★★☆ Sandy was great, the tour was informative. Would definitely recommend if you are looking for a real history tour of Voodoo and the religions of NolaHeather K.Heather K. ★★★★★ I did several Free Tours by Foot when I was in New Orleans recently - French Quarter, Garden District, Voodoo, Ghost Walk + Treme. They were all AMAZING! I've done these tours all over the world but found that in NOLA the guides were especially knowledgeable and just brimming with information about EVERYTHING New Orleans. Evian did the Ghost + Treme tour and Daniel did the FQ and Garden tour - EXCELLENT guides, felt very lucky to have been allocated to their tours. One thing that was disappointing is that quite a few people took the full tour and then walked away without tipping, these guides work for TIPS and more people need to be conscious of this.Culture Lover W.Culture Lover W. ★★★★★ I travel a lot and join guided tours regularly - so I booked the Garden District Tour. It was hands down the best tour I ever did. Our tour guide Andrew F. has a vast knowledge about diverse topics related to the tour subjects (and beyond) and presented it in an engaging, fun, informative and most interesting manner. Even though the group was quite big, Andrew F. reached with each and everyone in our group.Ellie V.Ellie V. ★★★★★ Sandy was amazing on the Voodoo Tour! Her knowledge of the actual history was fascinating. Especially, when she compared the voodoo culture to other known religions. My friend from Brazil was impressed by the relevant examples to the widespread influences in modern society. Her mastery of historical references and in-depth personal conversations with topic experts added to the educational value of the tour. And she was funny as hell.Mariana G.Mariana G. ★★★★★ I took the tour in the french quarter with the tour guide Sandy and it was amazing. The tour was very ninteresting, the duration was perfect, and the guide was really knowledgeable and nice. I highly recommend it!Betty F.Betty F. ★★★★★ The Voodoo tour with Robbie was the best tour I have ever taken in New Orleans. He is one of the best tour guides in the city. Highly recommend.Justin G.Justin G. ★★★★★ C CC C ★★★★★ Honestly cannot recommend this enough! Booked the French Quarter walking tour with Sandy last minute and I am so happy I did. Sandy was incredibly knowledgeable and made all of the history FUN to learn. Will definitely be booking more tours on my trip!Emilia J.Emilia J. ★★★★★ Great tours packed with information! I did the Treme tour with Evian and the Voodoo tour with Sandy. Both had a wealth of knowledge about New Orleans to share.Vikram K.Vikram K. ★★★★★ Kayla was amazing! Very knowledgeable, passionate about her heritage and her city, funny, and down to earth.Karli J.Karli J. ★★★★★ Just did the Voodoo tour with Sandy! She was absolutely great and super informative, plus very funny. She was great at breaking down the intricacies of such a complex religion!Mona P.Mona P. ★★★★★ French Quarter walking tour was great! Sandy was knowledgeable, friendly and informative with a NOLA sense of humor. I highly recommend Free Tours by FootLindsey Michelle G.Lindsey Michelle G. ★★★★★ The Voodoo Tour with High Priest Robi was INCREDIBLE! We had an amazing time - he was so welcoming, and the tour was informative, engaging, and deeply moving. We were truly blown away by the experience - a highlight of the trip!Todd K.Todd K. ★★★★★ The walking tour of the French Quarter was superb. Our guide Sandy was phenomenal. She was full of knowledge and really funny. I highly recommend her and this tour.Bernardo P.Bernardo P. ★★★★★ Cindy had great knowledge of the city. Strong and loud voice too. Was a good tour. Very interestingjs_loader

2. Attend a Holiday Concert

New Orleans attracts a number of musical acts throughout the year, although December tends to be a bit quiet.

There are a number of holiday concerts taking place in the city, though, ones that are sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

Concerts

NOTE: If you’re looking for more concerts or musical performances to see, check out our tips for live music in New Orleans.

Again, you can easily find all the concerts in NOLA here.


3. Go to a Sporting Event

The Big Easy has two popular teams to root for in December: The New Orleans Pelicans and the New Orleans Saints.

Find all the games you can attend this month here.

Basketball

Football

In addition to these events, it’s worth noting that the New Orleans Bowl will also be held at the Caesars Superdome, on December 16th.

Again, you can find all the games you can attend this month here.


4. See a Performance on the Stage

There are plenty of great shows to be seen on the stage in December in New Orleans.

You'll find popular shows from Broadway, comedy, and a number of shows that celebrate the holidays.

Holiday Shows

Comedy Shows

Musicals/Dance


5. Enjoy a Holiday-Themed Riverboat Cruise

Both the Steamboat Natchez and the Creole Queen Paddlewheeler offer special activities to celebrate the holiday season.

Some sails will offer a holiday buffet and a bar, but others stick to food items such as tea and hors d'oeuvres.

If you are traveling with kids, they'll find the Papa Noel Cruise on the Creole Queen enjoyable.

Steamboat Natchez

Creole Queen Paddlewheeler

You can also find more details about both the Steamboat Natchez and the Creole Queen Paddlewheeler on our post which covers riverboat cruises in New Orleans.

If you want to find other things to do this holiday season, make sure to read our post on Christmas events in New Orleans.


6. Enjoy a Holiday Cocktail

With Christmas just around the corner, most of the pubs, bars, and other drinking establishments in New Orleans will have special holiday-themed cocktails available for a limited time. 

If you’re curious about the kind of cocktails you can expect during December, we go into much greater detail about this subject in our post about things to do for Christmas in New Orleans

NOTE: Anyone who is interested in grabbing a few drinks may want to consider taking our Cocktail tour as well. 

Many of the locations you will visit on this outing have special drinks during the holidays, giving you the chance to enjoy both activities at once!


7. Enjoy a Réveillon Dinner

Dating back to the 1800s, this Creole holiday tradition is now celebrated by many locals in New Orleans.

The customary Réveillon Dinner is a large family feast that takes place after midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

The modern equivalent of this meal can be found in many restaurants throughout the city during the holiday season.

Prices range from $30-$60 per person.

You can learn more about these and other meals on our pay-what-you-wish Creole Christmas Tour and our French Quarter Food Tour.


8. Celebrate New Year's Eve

There are a number of fabulous New Year's Eve parties going on in the city that know how to live with joy.

And of course, you can see

If you’re looking for free activities during the month of December, this will definitely be one of your best options.


9. Celebration in the Oaks

Every holiday season, New Orleans’ City Park wraps its famous oak trees up in lights.

In addition to the wonderfully lit oaks, you’ll also see displays in areas such as their Botanical Garden and Carousel Gardens. 

This event attracts more than 165,000 visitors every year, making it one of the most popular holiday activities in New Orleans. 

With that in mind, they actually recommend purchasing tickets well ahead of time.

This year the event runs from November 23rd to December 30th.

Click here for additional information.

New Orleans’ City Park has much more to offer as well, so is well worth a visit.

This is one of the most family-friendly attractions in New Orleans during December.

However, you can find even more great ideas in our things to do with kids section.


10. Save Money With a Tourist Pass

If you’re planning to enjoy a lot of different activities in New Orleans, a tourist pass can save you plenty of money.

Depending on which service you choose and how you use it, you could save up to 50% off general admission prices at several notable attractions in the city.

An all-inclusive pass will give you access to dozens of popular tours and activities for a specific amount of time (1, 2, 3 or 5 days).

Alternatively, you can also get a tourist pass which will allow you to pay one flat price for a set number of attractions (2, 3, 4, 5, or 6).

Regardless of which service you choose, you can expect admission for the following activities to be included with at least one New Orleans tourist pass:

  • Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour
  • Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour
  • Riverboat Jazz Cruise
  • National WWII Museum
  • Audubon Aquarium
  • Audubon Insectarium
  • Mardi Gras World
  • Houmas House
  • Audubon Zoo
  • And more!

If you choose an all-inclusive pass, it will be important to use it for at least 3-4 activities to save a decent amount of money.

For more details, please read our post covering New Orleans tourist passes.


FREE THINGS TO DO IN DECEMBER

This section will provide a few additional ideas for free things to do in New Orleans during the month of December. 

If you want even more to do for free, don’t forget that we offer a lot of pay-what-you-want walking tours such as the Creole Christmas Tour.

To save even more money, check out our post about the best free and cheap things to do in New Orleans.


Free Concert Tuesdays

A local jazz band performs a free concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum every Tuesday at 2 p.m.

All you need to do is drop in at the right time and grab a seat to experience this 60-minute show every week.

There are several additional free shows at the museum throughout any given month and other concerts that come with a price tag.

Make sure to check their events calendar.


Enjoy Christmas Activities

There are a lot of great things to do for Christmas in New Orleans, and several activities are actually free.

Here are a few examples of holiday events you can attend without paying a dime.

  • Krewe of Jingle
  • Sugar Bowl Parade
  • Winter Wonderland
  • NOLA Fest
  • Merriment on Magazine Street
  • Miracle on Fulton Street
  • Jackson Square Caroling

If you want to learn more about these opportunities and others, make sure to read our post about the best Christmas activities in New Orleans.

NOTE: Some of these events have yet to be confirmed for 2023, but they are likely to still take place in some way, shape, or form.


Go to a Free Wine Tasting

Faubourg Wines will be offering a free wine-tasting event every Wednesday in December from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

This event is open to the public, and no reservations are required.

During each wine tasting, Faubourg Wines selects 4 different drinks (which change every week) for visitors to taste.

This location also offers classes where you can learn more about wine and how to appreciate it. These courses are not free, but they do include even more wine tastings.

TIP: If you’re interested in trying some wine, you might also want to consider taking our Cocktail tour to learn more about the popular beverages in New Orleans.

To save even more money, check out our post about the best free and cheap things to do in New Orleans.


THINGS TO DO AT NIGHT IN DECEMBER

In this section, we will give you a few additional ideas for fun and interesting things you can do at night in New Orleans in December. 

You can find more nighttime activities such as free wine tasting, free comedy shows, attending a concert, going on a riverboat cruise, or seeing a sporting event in our other sections.

Make sure to read our post about things to do in New Orleans at night.


Take a Ghost Tour

The beloved tale A Christmas Carol proves that ghost stories are just as fun and intriguing during the holiday season as they are at other times of the year. 

If you’re interested in learning about some of the haunted history of New Orleans, we offer a pay-what-you-like ghost tour that covers a variety of different subjects and locations in the French Quarter.

While you’re in the area, you can enjoy some of the wonderful Christmas lighting displays at notable landmarks that you will pass along the way. 

This is also a great option if you’re looking for something other than holiday cheer during this special time of year.

In addition to our main ghost tour, we also provide these creepy outings:


See the Holiday Lights

No matter where you choose to go in New Orleans during the month of December, chances are that you’ll see some lighting displays.

Here are a few places you might want to visit for holiday lights:

These aren’t the only locations where you will find Christmas lighting displays, but they are some of the more popular sites that tend to decorate for the holiday season. 

If you’re looking for more information about some of the attractions on this list, make sure to read our post about the best Christmas activities in New Orleans.

If you’re looking for more attractions after dark, make sure to read our post about things to do in New Orleans at night.


Go to LUNA Fête

The 10th anniversary of LUNA Fête, a light art and technology festival takes place on December 7th-10th.

You'll find illuminated costumes and light-based artworks in the Convention Center Pedestrian Park.

There are also nightly markets, food, drinks, and so much more.

Read more about LUNA Fête here.


THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS IN DECEMBER

The following section covers a variety of family-friendly things you can do in New Orleans in December. 

For additional ideas, make sure to check the other sections in this post for activities such as seeing a show at Saenger Theater, going to a live sporting event, attending a concert, or enjoying the holiday lights.

We also have a guide to New Orleans with kids for more family-friendly ideas for any time of year.


Celebrate the Holidays

With Christmas right around the corner, it probably won’t surprise you that there will be several family activities available in New Orleans this month.

Here are a few of the attractions you might want to check out:

  • Teddy Bear Tea
  • Christmas Bonfires
  • Audubon Zoo Lights
  • Celebration in the Oaks
  • Jackson Square Caroling
  • Christmas Musicals/Ballets
  • Jingle Bugs at Audubon Insectarium

If you want to find even more fun things to do, make sure to check our post about the best Christmas activities in New Orleans.


Watch the Sugar Bowl Parade

In celebration of the Sugar Bowl, which takes place on December 31st, the Sugar Bowl Parade will be held.

This parade begins at about 3 p.m. at the intersection of Elysian Fields Avenue and Decatur Street.

With a wide variety of floats, bands, and other participants, there will be plenty to see and do during this event.

Even if you’re not interested in football, this is a fun family activity!

We also have a guide to New Orleans with kids for more family-friendly ideas for any time of year.


Attend NOLA ChristmasFest

New Orleans' annual ChristmasFest celebration returns in 2023.

For ten days folks can go on ice slides and carnival rides, and go ice skating.

Santa and his friends will be there as well, and on December 23rd you can even go ice skating with him!

There are plenty of special events each day as well, all of this taking place between December 21st and 25th.

To purchase tickets visit the ChristmasFest website.

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About The Author

Sarah Hester

Sarah first moved to New Orleans in 2001 to work for the American Red Cross of Southeast Louisiana. While working in the communities of New Orleans she fell in love with the unique culture of the Big Easy; it's food, music, architecture, wildlife, and most of all history. Read More... Sarah began her career with FTBF, first as a guide, then as an owner/operator. She believes every day is a good day if she gets to impart her love of her beloved New Orleans with Free Tours By Foot guests. She especially likes to convert new Who Dat Saints Fans!
Updated: marzo 13th, 2024
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