Wednesday at the Square

I've been coming to these for concerts for years and was glad to see them back after the pandemic shut things down. And I have to say better than ever. The food and drink vendors have tripled from what I recall and the days of old when you had to purchase tickets and then go to vendors are over. Just get in line and order and pay. They could use some additional porta potties though. The music is top notch local music and it's free all right in the heart of the CBD. You can bring a chair, blanket or just stand if you like and enjoy the music in the small square/park. It does tend to get fairly crowded but I've always been able to find a spot to plop down and enjoy. Do support the local vendors to keep these events free.

Hubby and I came over for some music and food . It was a nice crowd and very great vibes.

What could be better... Beautiful park in (mostly) beautiful evenings with free excellent music, food, drinks, people mingling.... a great way to spend 8-10 weekday evenings in the spring/summer. Bring a chair, or walk around. Vendors selling art, crafts, photography and clothes items. It's a good time. See you there!

In the words of Wayne and Garth--a most excellent music festival.Pros;-Easy access for the downtown 9-5ers-Ticket system that accepts credit, in any dollar amount.-Tickets that can be used week to week with any extras or tips going directly to YLC. (Youth Leadership Council)-Short lines for food-Plenty o'port o'potty (with filled antibacterial stations.-A matted park so regardless of foot traffic or rain, damage to the ground is minimal.-Food vendors that cater to everything between vegan and carnivore.-A variety of music and styles to appeal to the die hard local and amiable tourist.Cons;Honestly, NOTHING comes to mind, given its classification of an outdoor music event. Overall; an EXCELLENT way to burn off some energy/ or aggression after the daily grind!

This is a cool event. Kudos to the YLC for putting on this great event.The 12 week free concert series takes place in Lafayette Square and has great local vendors and great music. At the last event the Radiators played and talked about retirement. Of course the have been threatening retirement since at least 1994, but they put on a great show anyway.For the food and drinks you need tickets. Each ticket is $1, and beers are four tickets. Abita was on hand with Jockamo IPA, Amber and another kind I can't remember.There are several parking garages and lots in the area. Just remember not to park in front of the courthouse or you will be towed.

Wednesday at the Square was a nice outdoor event. There was live music and tons of food vendors. There was also art vendors with jewelry, shirts and other merchandise to purchase. I tried some Abita beer here for the 1st time. Proceeds from sales go to to local charities. I love good causes for the community and that can also be fun at the same time.

I'm here every Wednesday because energizes me to get through the rest of the week. See my photos of the artists and I'll Write more soon!

Yaaaaass! Wednesday at the Square is so much fun! I love how New Orleans is constantly offering free, quality activities. The lineup is full of quality bands and artists. Go to their website to check out the schedule. For food and drink, buy tickets and trade them in. Proceeds go to YLC for their community service projects! Logistics... try to ride your bike, uber or cab if you can. Street parking can be hard to find, but not impossible. Bring your dog/child... it's a dog/child-friendly event. You can also bring a blanket and chairs to set up as well. Follow them on Twitter (@WedAtTheSquare) to get the scoop on special activities they may have that week or updates on potential cancellations due to weather.

This event is very family friendly. Bring your kids, bring your dog, bring your in laws, leave your cats. Please leave your cats. This is a free event. If you want booze or food, you have to buy tickets and exchange the tickets for the times of your choice. He food selection is extensive. Many great restaurants set up tents here, so be sure to bring friends so you can all sample the dishes. The musicians are all pretty great. There is usually two stages (though I swear there used to be two). There are projectors set up so you can see the band playing no matter where you're at during the event. The shops have anything from paintings to ties to paintings to shorts to paintings to cups to paintings to jewelry. So much to choose from. Good job YLC

Wednesday at the Square has become a rite of spring in New Orleans, and I look forward to the concert series every year. And I'm pretty sure I'm not alone...Wednesday at the Square, fondly known as WATS among staff and volunteers, is a free 12-week concert series in Lafayette Square that takes place each spring from April-June. It's been around for, almost 10 years now, I think, and was originally started by the Downtown Development District. The Young Leadership Council, who traditionally provided volunteers for the event, took it over entirely post-Katrina when the DDD was forced to scale back and focus on things like clean, safe streets and other recovery-related issues. The YLC took WATS to unprecedented levels of success (which, I think, was partly fueled by the post-K desire for community and positive events, which this is an excellent example of), and this concert series effectively doubled the nonprofit's yearly operating budget. How do I know all this? Because I used to work for YLC, and had the distinct pleasure of working on WATS for 2 1/2 seasons, right when they made the transition from DDD to YLC management. Working on an event like WATS, with the 3 person staff that YLC had at the time, was a tremendous amount of work, but I still miss the days when I was running around the Square paying security/bands/vendors, coordinating the armored truck and, once, figuring out how to operate a fire hydrant. It was definitely an adventure. The best part about being involved with WATS, though, was the fact that I could say, as a nonprofit employee, my salary is *entirely* funded by beer sales. Which makes the YLC's annual Role Model Awards Gala, their other major source of operating funds, an event whose revenue goes 100% to programs. It's pretty cool to see. The YLC is a great organization in general, WATS is an amazing cultural asset that New Orleans offers, and it's awesome that things have worked out the way that they have. About the event itself: the concerts are free, and are paid for by food and beer sales (as well as sponsorship dollars). As a result, no outside food or drinks are allowed, and I believe the event recently became non-smoking, as well. Food vendors range from Sushi to Lucy's to Rotolo's pizza, and Abita Amber, Abita Light, Purple Haze and Turbo Dog are available for 3 tickets. (FYI, you can't buy food or booze with cash at the Square--you have to buy tickets, which are used as currency. They're good for the entire series, but once the season is over, your tickets can no longer be used. i.e. You can't use 2009 tickets for the 2010 series. Don't even try.) The lineup is usually announced several weeks in advance, and you can visit http://wednesdayatthesquare.com for updates and information. You may even be able to purchase tickets in advance via the website. There is, of course, a full bar available in addition to beer, plus snowballs and sometimes daiquiris and coffee. You're welcome to bring your kids, your dog, your friends and family, coworkers, etc. WATS is in the heart of the CBD, goes from 5-7:30 p.m., and therefore is much beloved by the after-work crowd. (Though I know for a fact that people come from the Northshore and Mississippi just for these events.) The show DOES go on, rain or shine, so if you're wondering about that pending thunderstorm, don't bother. WATS will happen no matter how hard it's raining. And usually only the most hardcore of fans brave the rain. More often than not, though, it only looks like it'll rain, and the weather ends up being gorgeous. You can attempt to find parking on the street (good luck), or there's a garage on the Square that offers discounted parking on Wednesday nights. It's about $4, I think. Post-WATS people head to Lucy's and, now, Capdeville, both of which get PACKED after the Square.What else? No cash, buy tickets (you can use credit cards now!), bring your dog, don't bring beer... I think that pretty much covers it. And know that your fun and beer money is going to support a very worthwhile organization, so it's a win-win-win for everybody.