Where can I hear live music in New Orleans tonight?

Somewhere in New Orleans, live music is happening tonight, guaranteed. Frenchmen Street in the Marigny has a dozen venues within three blocks. Beyond that, the music spreads across the whole city: Tipitina's and the Maple Leaf Uptown, Bacchanal and Vaughan's in the Bywater, Kermit's Mother-in-Law Lounge in Treme, Chickie Wah Wah in Mid-City, Preservation Hall and Fritzel's in the French Quarter, and dozens more. The list on this page shows what is actually booked tonight, updated daily.

What time does live music start in New Orleans?

Early sets start between 5pm and 7pm, prime time is 8pm to 10pm, and plenty of rooms have music past midnight. New Orleans treats the night as running until 6am, and so does this page: shows listed after midnight belong to tonight.

Is live music in New Orleans free?

A lot of it is. Many bars and clubs have no cover, especially for early sets. Where a show has a listed price, this page shows it. If you catch free music, tip the band; that is how the free-music economy works here, and most tip jars take Venmo.

Live Music in New Orleans Tonight

Q: Do I need tickets in advance?

For most neighborhood shows, no; you walk in. Ticketed rooms like Tipitina's, the Fillmore, the Civic Theatre, and Preservation Hall can sell out, so buy ahead for touring acts and weekend shows. Where a ticket link exists, it is on this page.

Every show on our citywide calendar for tonight, Thursday, October 29

Updated daily. All times are New Orleans local time (Central). Shows after midnight are part of tonight; the night runs until 6am here.

New Orleans has live music every single night of the week, and most of it never makes the tourist guides. This page pulls tonight's shows from our citywide calendar, which aggregates listings from hundreds of venues: the Frenchmen Street clubs, the Uptown institutions, the Bywater bars, the Treme lounges, the French Quarter jazz rooms, and everything in between. Cover charges are listed where venues publish them. Plenty of shows are free; when they are, tip the band.

Tonight's Shows

88 shows on the calendar, Thursday, October 29

30/90

6:00 PMDaphne Parker Powell

9:00 PMXcitement

Allways Lounge & Cabaret

6:00 PMGDP PRESENTS: 2 Studs In A Pod w/ The Homie On The Side (burlesque)

7:00 PMVan Ella Bordella (burlesque)

10:00 PMThe Devil made me do it!

10:30 PMWives of Horror (burlesque)

Anna's

9:00 PMElliot From Earth

Apple Barrel

6:00 PMBubbles BrownFree

10:00 PMJohnny BFree

Bacchanal

6:00 PMRaphael Bas

Balcony Music Club (BMC)

6:00 PMDapper DandiesFree

9:00 PMKeep It Rolling Brass BandFree

Bamboula's

4:30 PMSugar And The Daddies

9:00 PMWolfe Johns Band

Bayou Bar

8:00 PMDouble Bird ft. Peter Harris, John Michael Bradford, Joe Ashlar, and Nygel Anderson

10:00 PMDouble Bird ft. Peter Harris, John Michael Bradford, Joe Ashlar, and Nygel Anderson

Beach On Bourbon

6:00 PMNightmare Before Halloween ft. DJ SON + Flamingotism

BJ's Lounge

9:00 PMSally Baby's Silver Dollars

Blue Nile

9:00 PMIrvin Mayfield's Music Church with Special Guests

11:00 PMReggae Night with DJ T-Roy (Balcony Room)

BMac's

7:00 PMOpen Musicians Jam

Carrollton Station

8:00 PMPersonal Space + Roadway 7 + Gordie Simon & The Stone$10.00

Chickie Wah Wah

8:00 PMSusan Cowsill's Covered in Vinyl Series Presents Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark$39.29

d.b.a.

6:00 PMEthan Santos

8:00 PMDBA -private event

Dos Jefes

8:30 PMThe Mark Coleman Band

Double Dealer

9:00 PMJake Garterstein Trio

Gasa Gasa

8:30 PMCRESCENT CITY CROSSROADS: NIGHT 2

Good Measure @ The Barnett

8:00 PMVibe with Ayanna & Zahria

Hi-Ho Lounge

8:00 PM80's Night with DJ Shane Love

Holy Diver

9:00 PMRADE / DUMMY DUMPSTER / STMBLR

House of Blues

7:00 PMCongress the Band

House of Blues Foundation Room

6:00 PML.O.U.D. Muzik Presents: The L.O.U.D.EST Night in New Orleans

Jimmy's Music Club

10:00 PMThursday Thriller

Le Bon Temps Roule

11:00 PMThe Soul Rebels$20.00

Mahogany Jazz Hall

6:00 PMThe New Orleans CatahoulasFree

8:00 PMJamil Sharif New Orleans Jazz ExtravaganzaFree

Maison

8:30 PMSingle Malt Please

Maple Leaf Bar

6:00 PMBooker & Beyond - Davis Rogan$10.50

8:00 PMJohnny Vidacovich Trio Ft. Brad Walker & Chris Senac$23.00

10:00 PMBLOODKIN$28.00

May Baily's Place @ Dauphine Orleans Hotel

8:30 PMGiselle Anguizola

New Orleans Jazz Museum

6:00 PMBrass Band Headquarters: Donna's Bar and Grill Exhibition Opening

7:00 PMComposers Now: Dialogues in New Orleans

Nightbloom

9:00 PMFuturevillains

Ogden Museum of Southern Art

6:00 PMMariachi Los Primos

Okay Bar

8:00 PMUpward Spiral to Slu[g]T Club$10.00

Paulie's

6:00 PMIan Cunningham

Preservation Hall

5:00 PMPreservation All-Stars ft. Wendell Brunious (Sold Out)

6:15 PMPreservation All-Stars ft. Wendell Brunious (Sold Out)

7:30 PMPreservation All-Stars ft. Wendell Brunious (Sold Out)

8:45 PMPreservation All-Stars ft. Wendell Brunious (Sold Out)

Salon Salon

7:00 PMJohn Maestas

Saturn Bar

9:00 PMSPOOKY BOOGIE w/Brother Dan/Cam Honcho/Vanitypl8$12.47

Siberia

6:00 PMSCIENCE TIME! CULTURES OF COASTAL RESTORATION SCIENCE WITH MONICA PATRICE BARRA,Free

9:00 PMMars with Most Heinous and Ossacrux$12.47

Snake & Jake's Christmas Club Lounge

7:00 PMSonny Schneidau (DJ Set)

Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro

7:30 PMHarold Battiste Birthday Tribute with Jesse McBride & the Next Generation$41.30

9:30 PMHarold Battiste Birthday Tribute with Jesse McBride & the Next Generation$41.30

Spotted Cat Music Club

6:00 PMJenavieve Cooke & The Winding Boys

10:00 PMJumbo Shrimp

St Roch Tavern

9:00 PMNight Kitchen w/Basch Jernigan

Sunnie's

6:00 PMHalf & Half & Half + 3arthtones + Jake Ryan + Maximo$11.99

The Chloe

6:30 PMOTRA x Sam PriceFree

The Civic Theatre

8:00 PMOsees ft. Brigid Dawson with Traps PS

The Crypt

11:00 PMMidnite Mutants ft. Disko Obscura + Interesting Results + Danny White

The Domino

9:00 PMBlack Mass ft. Livernois + DJ Beautato

The Jazz & Blues Market

7:30 PMDONALD HARRISON'S QUANTUM LEAP MUSIC FEST MILES & TRANE TRIBUTE

The Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta

7:30 PMBrass-A-Holics

The Rabbit Hole

10:00 PMGet Freaky: Halloween Pre Party 💀

The Saint

10:00 PMDerraj

The Tigermen Den

6:00 PMTuba Skinny

Three Maries Jazz Club @ Omni Royal Orleans

7:00 PMTy Ellender

Three Muses

7:30 PMAnd Then Came Humans

Tipitina's

9:00 PMRafael$75.67

Twelve Mile Limit

9:00 PMPurrsday Karaoke!

Vaughan's Lounge

10:30 PMCorey Henry & The Treme Funktet

Virgin Hotels New Orleans

8:00 PMSaints & Sinners ft. Summer Indigo + Ghazi Gamili + Mikey Offline

Always confirm times and prices with the venue before heading out.

Good to Know

Where should I go for live music tonight?

Depends on the night you want. Frenchmen Street packs a dozen venues into three walkable blocks and something is always on. For destination shows, check the listings above for Tipitina's, the Maple Leaf, Preservation Hall, and the theaters. For a more local night, look for the Bywater, Treme, and Mid-City rooms in the list; smaller crowds, often no cover, and some of the best musicians in the city.

What time does music start?

Early sets start between 5pm and 7pm, prime time is 8pm to 10pm, and plenty of rooms go past midnight. The highlighted entries above are after-midnight sets that belong to tonight.

Is it free?

A lot of it, especially early sets in neighborhood bars. Prices above are shown where venues publish them. Free show? Tip the band. Most tip jars take Venmo.

Do I need tickets in advance?

Walk into most neighborhood shows. Buy ahead for ticketed rooms and touring acts; those links are in the listings when they exist.

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