X Games Championship – New Orleans is partnering with another prominent global sports brand with the first-ever X Games Championship event, the final stop of the inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Summer Season, coming to the Ceasars Superdome, July 24 to 26, 2026. The three-day action sports festival features18 competitions across Skateboard, BMX and Moto X, with more than 100 of the world’s top action sports athletes competing. New Orleans will serve as the championship finale of the global 2026 season, following stops in Sacramento and Japan.
Fans around the world can watch the broadcasts on ESPN, ABC and ESPN2, as well as streaming on the ESPN App and other digital platforms. The event is expected to bring international attention and economic impact to New Orleans, reinforcing our city’s reputation as a destination for championship events!
North America’s 50 Best – New Orleans will host top chefs, restaurateurs and industry leaders from across North America for the second edition of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants. 50 Best will bring a series of exciting culinary events to New Orleans in May 2026, culminating in the announcement of the highly anticipated list at the awards ceremony on May 28. The awards celebrate the finest food and beverage talent across North America, covering the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, with a live countdown of the list, culminating in the announcement of The Best Restaurant in North America.
Sail 250 – New Orleans is making history as the first city to launch Sail 250 events, part of America 250, the nationwide commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary. Sail 250 New Orleans will transform the Mississippi River waterfront with tall ships, U.S. naval vessels, and maritime celebrations from May 27 to June 1, 2026. The event showcases New Orleans’ maritime heritage, cultural vibrancy, and capacity to host major national and international celebrations. Hosting this event positions New Orleans on a global stage and demonstrates national confidence in the city’s ability to deliver a world-class celebration.
La Biennale di Venezia – For the first time since 2015, two artists from New Orleans have been invited to participate in the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, one of the most prestigious international art exhibitions in the world. Contemporary artists Dawn DeDeaux and Big Chief Demond Melancon are the only artists from the American Gulf South selected for the 61st International Art Exhibition, In Minor Keys, which will run from May 9 through November 22, 2026, at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and various locations throughout Venice, Italy.
Mardi Gras 2026 was a resounding success, marked by huge joyful crowds; beautiful weather; and strong regional visitation, as well as guests from around the nation and the world. We delivered a safe and secure environment thanks to the great work of our sanitation workers, local law enforcement and seamless collaboration among city, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. New Orleans & Company data reveals more than 2.2. million visits over Mardi Gras. Of those,1.2 million out-of-town guests visited New Orleans between February 12 – 17, 2026, which is a 20 percent increase over the same time period for Mardi Gras 2025. We were pleased to see that 40 percent of those visitors came from more than 250 miles away. Regional travellers are a critical audience for us.
Now in its fourth year, RecycleDAT is a joint program by New Orleans & Company, Grounds Krewe, Glass Half Full and several other local organizations to make Mardi Gras more sustainable. The RecycleDat! Initiative successfully diverted 61,219 pounds of recyclable materials from landfills during the 2026 Carnival season. This total includes 6,142 pounds of aluminium, which is roughly 197,000 cans; 1,691 pounds of plastic, which is roughly 76,000 bottles; 34,741 pounds of glass, which is roughly 46,000 bottles: and 18,646 pounds of Mardi Gras beads and throws.
We are grateful to our members and partners for helping fulfil our vision to make New Orleans the most remarkable, unique, and welcoming city in the world, and our mission to inspire, promote and encourage travel to the city for the economic, social and community benefit of New Orleans and its people.
Top Three Reasons to Plan a Trip to New Orleans NOW
Savannah Bananas – The team is bringing their wildly popular ‘Banana Ball’ can’t miss event to New Orleans with two games scheduled at the Caesars Superdome on March 14 and 15, 2026 against their rivals, the Party Animals. Beyond ticket sales, the Bananas generate massive social media reach and national media coverage, putting New Orleans in front of new audiences who may not have previously considered the city for travel. Their high-energy, entertainment-driven games reinforce New Orleans’ reputation as a premier sports and entertainment destination.
Spring Festival Season – Spring festival season is kicking into high gear with the New Orleans Book Fest at Tulane University – known as Mardi Gras for the Mind – Jazz Fest, Hogs for the Cause, French Quarter Fest, the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, Congo Square Rhythms Festival and more. From food festivals to literary festivals, St. Patrick’s Day parades and signature sporting events such as Zurich Classic, there’s more than one reason to visit this spring.
Sail 250 – New Orleans will kick off the nationwide celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with tall ships and naval vessels lining the Mississippi River. The event is free and open to the public, with no advanced tickets required for the main festivities, though some specific tours may have separate arrangements. Sail 250 offers a rare opportunity to tour historic vessels, enjoy fireworks, family activities, and waterfront celebrations, all while highlighting New Orleans’ long-standing maritime heritage and vibrant culture.
Meetings and Conventions
For much of the year, meetings and conventions form a foundational layer of New Orleans’ travel economy, with more than $2 billion in direct spending annually. Those convention attendees typically stay longer, spend more and engage more small businesses throughout the community to produce their events.
New Orleans & Company’s Convention Sales team has booked an impressive convention calendar for 2026, including the largest and most respected medical and healthcare meetings in the world – such as The American College of Cardiology, The American Academy of Ophthalmology, The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and The American Society of Hematology – each serving as their own powerful economic engine.
These meetings and conventions are where medical breakthroughs are revealed, new technology is introduced, and commerce moves forward. What better place to do that than New Orleans, a city Built to Host?
The National Business Aviation Association will bring the October 2028 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) – the world’s most influential business aviation event – to New Orleans. It marks the first time the event is returning to New Orleans in over two decades – since 2001.
NBAA-BACE is considered the premier global gathering for the business aviation industry, bringing together major companies, innovators, aircraft manufacturers and aviation leaders. It will take place at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport as well as the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Ultimately, these gatherings underscore why meetings matter; they fuel innovation, support local jobs and small businesses and position New Orleans as a trusted host for the world’s most consequential conversations.
2026 New Orleans Awards and Honors
It was announced in January 2026 that the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport received the Airports Council International North America 2025 Excellence in Airport Marketing, Communications and Customer Experience Awards for its music program. Through the airport’s Music @ MSY Residency Program, the airport and music community representatives select a rotating lineup of local musical acts to perform on peak travel days and on stages throughout the terminal.
USA Today 10Best recently announced the winners of several reader chosen awards. The New Orleans Museum of Art was ranked 10th best in the country and the Sydney and Walda Bestoff Sculpture Garden at City Park was selected as the 9th best in the nation. When it comes to Best Immersive Art Experiences JAMNOLA was voted 5th best in the U.S.
On January 6, 2026, the Louisiana Children’s Museum was named one of the Top 9 Children’s Museums in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure, 9 Best Children’s Museums in the U.S.
New Orleans Named Number 5 of TripAdvisor’s top U.S. cities to visit in 2026
In partnership with Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities announced that the Historic New Orleans Collection’s ‘Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration’ exhibition has been selected as the 2026 Museum Exhibition of the Year.
Why Tourism Matters
According to the US Travel Association, the American travel industry is a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, creating a $2.9 trillion economic footprint nationally. It generates $1.3 trillion in spending and 15 million jobs.
Locally, our industry welcomes more than 19 million visitors per year and creates livelihoods and jobs for more than 85,0000 people in the New Orleans area.
Tax revenue paid by visitors earns our city and state millions of dollars for vital services, including education, infrastructure, and public safety. These revenues come from hotel taxes as well as direct visitor spending in restaurants, venues, retail and other businesses, demonstrating the economic benefit of major events to our community.
When businesses and their employees thrive, they re-invest in our community and strengthen our economy.
Without the funds generated by New Orleans’ tourism industry, every family in Louisiana would pay thousands more dollars in annual taxes. Without the millions of visitors who choose New Orleans annually, our relatively small city would not sustain a world-class culture of cities with a much larger population.
Ultimately, the travel industry is about uniting people through culture and shared experiences. Mark Twain said, ‘Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness.’ We salute the local professionals, ambassadors and culture bearers who make New Orleans Built to Host every day!
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