2026 History of Carnival Class
January 13, 14, 15 (6 – 8 pm via Zoom) (15th will start at 4pm) | All Classes Recorded and Emailed to Participants After
Tuition: $30 Members | $40 General Admission
Friends of the Cabildo will be returning its successful Adult History Class: A History of Carnival in 2026 with a 3-class seminar beginning January 13th. Speakers will include historian Dr. Karen Leathem of the Louisiana State Museum, Dr. Kimberly Vaz of Dillard University, Nola.com writer Doug Macash, ULL Professor Emeritus Barry Ancelet, historian Frank Perez and Dr. Charles Chamberlain (UNO). The class will define the origins of Carnival, explore Black Carnival traditions, discuss Mardi Gras music culture, Cajun Mardi Gras, Gay Carnival and highlight the evolution of Mardi Gras Throws.
2026 Hidden Treasures: Carnival Edition
February 4th (Wed) One Night Only | 5:30pm (Sold Out) & 7pm Showings | Tickets: $25 Members/ $35 GA | 1000 Chartres | Reservations Required (No Tickets at the Door) | 20 Tickets/Showing
For all you hardcore Carnival fanatics, join the Friends of the Cabildo and the Louisiana State Museum for-one night only as they open the impressive Carnival Collection for an exclusive behind-the-scenes viewing of historic costumes and other rarely seen artifacts. Wayne Phillips, Curator of Costumes and Textiles for the Louisiana State Museum, will guide you through an in-depth, first-hand look at Carnivals of years past through a tour of the storage rooms of the State Museum, usually off limits to the general public.
FOC Concert Tickets for 2025-2026 Season | 100 tickets/show
All Concerts at 7pm at the NO Jazz Museum 3rd Floor | 100 tickets/Show in the Atmos Digital Sound New Orleans Jazz Museum 3rd Floor Performance Space Venue
Individual Concert Ticket – $30 GA / $25 Members
March 13th – An Intimate Evening with Robin Barnes – The Songbird of New Orleans
April 2nd – The Dirty Dozen Brass Band Holy Thursday Concert
The FOC Concert Series is supported by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation through the Community Sponsorship Grant Program. 100% of Grants Proceeds go to the musicians.
Film Series
2026
January 21 – Member of the Club: Black Aristocracy Through the Eyes of an African American Debutante and her Matriarchal Family
March: 25 – Film Series: George Dureau: New Orleans Artist (Q&A TBA)
April: 22 – Film Series: 1970 Jazz Fest Films (Moderated by Jon Pult
Neighborhood & Cultural Tours
All Neighborhood & Cultural Tours Start at 10am unless noted
Bywater Tour
Jan. 17th | Saturday |10am | Departure Point: Bywater Bakery (3624 Dauphine)
New Orleans Literary Tour
Jan. 24th | Saturday | Departure Point: 1850 House (523 St. Ann)
Weekly FOC Garden District Tour
Every Saturday | 10am | Departure: The Chicory House (2727 Prytania)
Sicilian History Tour of the French Quarter (New Tour) (15 Spots/Tour)
Sundays- Jan. 11 (Sold Out) | Feb. 1 & 8 (Both Sold Out) | March 1 & 8 (Both Sold Out) | April 4 (Sat) & 12 | May 3 & 10 | Departure: 1850 House Museum Store (523 St. Ann St.)
Spring America 250 Member Lecture Series
March 10 – Nourishing Networks: the Public Culture of Food in New Orleans and in the 18th century – Dr. Ashley Rose Young
March 17 – The First Fleets: Colonial Navies of the British Atlantic World – Dr. Benjamin Schaffer
March 24 – Americanization of the Gulf Coast—How the Florida parishes, the MS Gulf Coast, the AL Gulf Coast, and the Florida panhandle came into American ownership piecemeal between 1810 and 1819 – Mike Bunn
May 5 – The Islenos and Louisianan’s Role in the Galvez Militia – William Hyland
Yoga at the Cabildo
Yoga at the Cabildo will begin classes again starting Saturday, June 17th at 8:30 a.m. at the Cabildo (701 Chartres Street) on beautiful Jackson Square.
Layla Ross will be giving classes every Saturday morning for Friends of the Cabildo Members, locals and tourists.
Member cost for the class is $10 and non-members its $20. If you have a mat please bring one if not we have some available for free.
Second Thursday Lecture Series
Sponsored by Friends of the Cabildo Members
Second Thursday Lecture Series:
Death or Victory: The Louisiana Native Guards and the Black Military’s Significance in the Civil War with A. J. Cade