New Orleans is the largest city in Louisiana, and is the center of the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area, the largest metro area in the state. The city of New Orleans is located in southeastern Louisiana, surrounding the Mississippi River. New Orleans is cohesive with Orleans' Parish, thus the boundaries of the city and the parish are the same. The city is named after Philippe II, Duc d'Orléans, Regent of France. New Orleans is known for being one of the oldest cities in the United States, as well as for its multicultural and multilingual heritage cuisine, music, architecture and its annual Mardi Gras. The city is commonly referred to as the "most unique" city in America. To discover more about specific venues in New Orleans the Louisiana business directory offers in depth information.

The New Orleans area is home to many huge celebrations, and the most popular is the Mardi Gras.  The Carnival officially begins on January 6th, also known as the "Twelfth Night." However, the largest of New Orleans’s many festivals  was the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, or otherwise known as "Jazz Fest.” Jazz Fest is one of the largest music festivals in the nations, with people from all over the world coming to experience the gifted music, food, arts and crafts.  Jazz  started in New Orleans, and with the history behind its place in the city, there are countless jazz clubs, shacks, and halls throughout the city. To find jazz lounges, tourists can look in the yellow pages.

New Orleans also has what no other arts-orientated city has; the French Quarter Festival Incorporated. The FQFI is a self-sustaining, nonprofit 50 corporation, supported by the city administration.  The organization hosts free, and amazingly entertaining festivals, which are open to the public.