New Orleans festivals and annual events

Celebration in the Oaks

For the holidays, New Orleans City Park strings more than a million lights through its grounds for Celebration in the Oaks, and some of the live oaks they hang in are nearly 800 years old. The City Park Conservancy runs it as the park's largest annual fundraiser, and it began in the late 1980s. The driving tour is a two-mile loop that takes 30 to 45 minutes and is priced per vehicle. Cars enter at 4 Friederichs Avenue. It runs rain or shine, with no refunds. The walking tour starts at 7 Victory Avenue and takes about 90 minutes, taking in the Carousel Gardens amusement park rides and the Botanical Garden. Pets and outside food don't come along on that one. It is an evening event, and parking inside the park is free. The season starts in late November, with a few nights closed. On a few other nights each season, bicycles get the driving route.