December brings the holidays of lights: Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa. And, while most Tulane students spend only the beginning portion of December in New Orleans, the city’s entire month is filled with holiday events. Rather than simply associating the month with the dread and dreary of preparation and completion of finals, students might find a positive break by stepping out of the bubble and participating in one of the many activities New Orleans offers in December. As a historically Catholic place, New Orleans naturally has mainly Christmas-centered festivities. However, regardless of tradition or religion, festivity, light, and good food should be enjoyed by everyone. And, as per usual, if there is one thing New Orleans excels in its unique holiday events—and the season of lights is no exception.
Image via neworleanscitypark.com
Celebration in the Oaks
November 28th to January 1st
City Park transforms into a sparkling wonderland as the Park, Botanical Garden, Storyland, and Carousel Garden Amusement Park are lit with over a million lights. This is City Park’s largest fundraising effort of the entire year with walking tour tickets ranging from 20 to 35 dollars depending on the day attended. However, the ticket includes access to 25 acres of lights, unlimited amusement park rides, marshmallow roasting, and hot chocolate. It’s a nice way to break free from the library and truly capture the idea of the “holidays of lights.”
Image via The Roosevelt Hotel New Orleans
The Roosevelt Hotel Decorations
While many hotels decorate for the holiday season, The Roosevelt—located around the French Quarter—goes all out with decorations. The lobby is filled with ferns and enough lights to possibly need sunglasses. When studying for calculus starts to dim your light go see the lights at the Roosevelt and walk around the French Quarter—another place festively decorated for the holidays.
Image via @eatwithsaba on Instagram
Chanukah at Saba
Sunday December 14th to 22nd
While dinner at Saba is good year-round, Saba is bringing back its L’Chaim Lounge for all eight nights of Chanukah, hosted inside their lounge. Students can enjoy the popular Latke Board, featuring labneh, apple butter, latkes, pickled shallots, beet tahini, marinated parsley, whipped butter, and ikra. Festive cocktails—playfully inspired by Jewish pop-culture icons like Barbra Streisand and Jerry Seinfeld—will be on the menu, along with a non-alcoholic option named Ruth Shaya. The space will be filled with holiday spirit, complete with themed balloons, decorations, and Hanukkah traditions, including the nightly lighting of the Menorah for the Festival of Lights.
Réveillon Dinners
The word “réveillon” means “awakening” in French, the original language of New Orleans, and it refers to a Creole tradition that began in the early 1800s, when families celebrated Christmas with a lavish feast after midnight mass. Though two o’clock in the morning may seem an unusual time for a meal of gumbo, game pies, soups, soufflés, desserts, brandy, and coffee, it was a way to break the religious fast leading up to Christmas Eve. The custom faded by the 1940s but was revived in the 1990s with modern twists, shifting from private homes to the city’s top restaurants and from the early morning hours to conventional dining times. Today, modern Tulanians can go to one of the dozens of New Orleans restaurants that offer Réveillon dinners inspired by the Creole families who began the tradition for a special holiday dinner with friends. Restaurants include (but are not limited to) Antoine’s, Muriel’s, and Galatoire’s.
Image via Cory Fontenot
Miracle on Magazine at Barrel Proof
For the 7th year in a row the pop-up Christmas bar Miracle takes residency at Barrel Proof on Magazine Street. The entire bar is completely transformed through decorations into an over-the-top Christmas space. They offer lots of holiday drinks including “Stocking Stuffer” and “Crooked Antler.” Barrel Proof is open from 4 pm to midnight on weekdays and until 1 am on Friday and Saturdays—so perhaps after that chemistry final is done, go celebrate (or before depending on your study methods).
Image via gonola.com, photo by Paul Broussard
Leroy Jones and New Orleans’ Finest Concert
Wednesday December 3rd from 6 to 7 pm
Each year the St. Louis Cathedral—lkocated at the heart of Jackson Square in the French Quarter—hosts multiple free concerts during the holiday season. On December 3rd, trumpeter Leroy Jones will lead the holiday concert. Seats are first come first serve, however people are also welcomed to stand in the back. Photography and video are prohibited from the Cathedral, but amidst the intense screen time studying provokes this can be seen as a positive.
Image via Deutsches Haus
Christkindlmarkt
Friday, December 5th from 3 to 8 pm
Saturday, December 6th 11 am to 8 pm
Sunday, December 7th 11 am to 4 pm
Deutsches Haus, “the German presence in the gulf south,” brings German tradition to New Orleans with its 7th annual Chriskindlmarkt. Originating in medieval-age Germany, outdoor markets took place during the advent of Christmas. Despite New Orleans’ strong French roots, the market has found its way to NOLA. With no entry fee, students can wander among more than 60 vendors selling locally made crafts and imported German goods ranging from jewelry and soaps to ornaments and food. Live German bands and caroling, sausages, pretzels, and steaming mugs of glühwein turn the market into a lively cultural detour from Tulane and typical French-centered New Orleans traditions.
Image via Algiers Economic Development Foundation
Algiers Bonfire
Saturday, December 6th at 4:30 pm
Rooted in the centuries-old Louisiana tradition of lighting bonfires to guide Papa Noel on Christmas Eve, the Algiers Holiday Bonfire brings a beloved regional ritual right to the banks of the Mississippi. This free celebration draws thousands to the Westbank for music, local food vendors, artisan shopping, and—most impressively—a 30-foot sculptural bonfire created by NOLA Burners and ignited after dark with the New Orleans skyline sparkling in the background. The event is both a tribute to the river parishes’ historic bonfires and a vibrant community festival in its own right.
Image via Krewe of Krampus
Krampus Parade
Saturday, December 6th at 7:30 pm
New Orleans loves a parade and that extends all the way to the dark world of Krampus. Held on December 6th, the city hosts the largest Krampus parade in the United States, celebrating the horned Alpine figure who traditionally accompanies Saint Nicholas on the eve of December 6th. Performers and visitors travel from across the country and abroad to join local crowds in a wild, theatrical procession that blends folklore, costuming, and a uniquely New Orleans flair. If you’re looking for a holiday experience that’s equal parts creative, eerie, and unforgettable, Krampuslauf is it (and certainly a break from your studying, test-taking activities).
Image via Crescent City Jewish News
Latkes with a Twist
Sunday, December 7th at 6:30 pm
The 11th annual Latkes with a Twist celebration will include a full latke bar with all the toppings and extras, live music, and a complimentary open bar. Tickets for students are 36 dollars — a well worth it break if you are looking to take a break from studying and a break from the Commons too.
