Congo Square (OUTDOORS)
Congo Square is one of the most hallowed sites in American music history. This area, once a grassy commons behind the original city rampart (now Rampart Street), was one of several gathering places for enslaved people from Africa and their descendants. In the 1700s, under French and Spanish colonial rule, slaves were permitted to buy and sell goods on Sundays. They also played African-style musical instruments and performed dances that originated from their native homes. After New Orleans became part of the United States in the early 1800s, a city ordinance limited gatherings of slaves to this spot, and only until sunset. Still, the weekly ritual sustained a continuum of African culture in the New World, with profound implications for the future of music.
Upcoming Shows
10:45am-7:30pm | Congo Square Rhythms Festival | Saturday March 28th & Sunday March 29th
It was in Congo Square that enslaved African people gathered on Sunday afternoons to practice their ancestral traditions. Their legacy lives on in our Congo Square Rhythms Festival, a free weekend celebration showcasing the music, food, and dance that made this city known around the world.
Entertainment Lineup for Sunday March 29th
Congo Square Rhythms Stage
11am-12pm: Drum Circle
12-12:20pm: Nkiruka Dance
12:30-12:50pm: Kumbuka Dance Ensemble
1-1:20pm: N'Kafu n Culu
1:30-1:50pm: N'Fungola Sibo
1:55-2:20pm: Free Spirit Walkers
2:30-3:30pm: Bamboula 2000
3:45-4:30pm: Mardi Gras Indian Battle
4:45-6:15pm: Cha Wa
Tremé Stage
11am-12:15pm: Big 6 Brass Band
12:30-2pm: Jonté Mayon
2:15-3:30pm: Juice
3:45-4:45pm: Tonya Boyd-Cannon
5-6pm: Lil' Glenn & Backatown
6:15-7:30pm: Big Sam's Funky Nation
