Battle of New Orleans Commemoration

About this happenin

Every January 8, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve marks the 1815 Battle of New Orleans on the ground where it was fought, Chalmette Battlefield in St. Bernard Parish. The anchor is a late-morning wreath-laying at the Chalmette Monument, with remarks from guest speakers. The park also uses the day to remember the original peoples of the land and the free and enslaved African Americans who fought in the battle. Everything is free and needs no reservation. Parking at the battlefield is limited, and the visitor center lot is held for speakers on ceremony morning. Battle talks and living history demonstrations fill the days around it, on a schedule the park posts each year. In 2025 and 2026 a Saturday evening Memorial Illumination Driving Tour added to the week (weather postponed the 2026 one). It was a nonstop drive: cars could not park, visitors could not walk, and the visitor center and restrooms were closed. The tour lit more than 2,100 luminaria, one for each person killed, captured, wounded or missing in the battle.

More in January: 4 other New Orleans events.

Where

Chalmette Battlefield, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve · 1 Battlefield Rd, Chalmette, LA 70043