A local boy, Phil Melancon performs the musical spirit and style of his hometown, New Orleans. As complex as gumbo, Phil cooks up a variety of musical flavors at once unique and distinctive. Ask anyone on the music scene in the city and Phil's name will be known for he performs at a smorgasbord of venues with many of the top musicians in the area.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Tammany Baumgarten is the owner and operator of BaumGardens Landscape and Design and has designed, installed, and maintained gardens throughout the New Orleans area for the past 10 years. Tammany is a licensed horticulturist and Landscape Contractor as well as a Master Gardener of the Greater New Orleans.

The Pfisters' specialty, the recreation of the harmonies of New Orleans' own Boswell Sisters, occupies an important place in the history and evolution of New Orleans music. Their voices melt together, their band really kicks, and they get the audience smiling and swaying in the timelessness that is the joy of music.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Larry Hennessey has been growing Orchids for 20 years in New Orleans. Larry is a past President of the New Orleans Orchid Society and also a member of the American Orchid Society. Many of his plants have received awards at local orchid shows and two orchids have been recognized as having superior flowers by the American Orchid Society.

In New Orleans, anyone who follows jazz knows that pianist Tom McDermott and clarinetist Evan Christopher rank among the city's most charismatic duos.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Performing all over the world Topsy Chapman dazzles crowds with her suave style and clear melodious voice. To hear her is purely delightful for all ages.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

America’s WETLAND Conservation Corps/LSU AgCenter will have an informative wetland exhibit Saturday and Sunday located adjacent to the Garden Study Center (Where the Education Programs are located)

SATURDAY- Horticulture Education

11:30-12:30 To be announced.

1:00-2:00 Jim Osborne, Bonsai Society “An Introduction to the Art of Bonsa”

2:30-3:30 Ron Gates, Louisiana Fern & Tropical Plant Society “Four Continents under Glass: The method and madness of selecting rare plants for the NOBG Conservatory”

SUNDAY-Wetland Series

11:30-12:30 Mark Schexnayder, LSU AgCenter “The History of Louisiana Waterways”

1:00-2:00 Dr. Bob Thomas, Loyola University “Recipe for Repair: How to Restore America’s Wetland”

2:30-3:30 Diane Maygarden, UNO Lake Pontchatrain Institute for Environmental Sciences “How Did We Get Here and Where are we Going? The Past, Present and Future of Coastal Louisiana”

See Education Series for Class descriptions and Bibliographies at garden.neworleanscitypark.com

Artist/musician Tony Green performs his own style of guitar know as Gypsy Jazz

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Frank and Cindy Mayes are both accomplished musicians in many different styles including Jazz, Classical and New Orleans music. They will perform songs from their new CD, "Mayes2 Finally."

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Mark Meunier holds a B.A. in Biology from UNO. He is a naturalist and avid birder. He has attended several birding events including the Annual Grand Isle Bird Count and the St. Francisville Bird Fest. Mark has been a dedicated New Orleans Botanical Garden staff member for nine years.

Robin Veerkamp has taught Nature Sketching and Botanical Illustration at the Crosby Arboretum for the past eight years. Prior to working at Crosby Arboretum as a volunteer coordinator/gift shop manager, Robin worked as an intern at offbeat Magazine, and has done graphic design work as well as typesetting. She works mainly in chalk, color pencil, graphite and ink.

Patrice Fischer and ARPA, with special guests Angel Rios and Bodoma Garifuna from Honduras perform a blending of music from Central, South, and North America.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Maureen Reed Detweiler is a native of New Orleans and is one of the founders of the New Orleans Old Garden Rose Society and currently serves on its board. She is the trustee of the Board of Directors Heritage Rose Foundation and an appointed member of the American Rose Society Old Garden Rose and Shrub Committee. Over the past 20 years she has written and published articles on roses and has served as editor of the Old Rose and Shrub Journal of the American Rose Society, an international publication.

Clarinetist/author Sancton leads his group through a sprightly program of traditional jazz. featuring guest artist Jason Marsalis on the drums.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Medicinal Disclaimer
It is the policy of the New Orleans Botanical Garden/City Park not to advise or recommend herbs for medicinal or health use. This information is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a recommendation or an endorsement of any particular medical or health treatment.

12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Have lunch with the speaker, serving a wonderful East Indian vegetarian lunch, RSVP required by May 3rd.
$10 per plate

Darrell Martin is a native Mississippian trained in the eclectic system of herbal medicine. He began his herbal studies while living in an ashram setting near Carriere, MS. He has been a strict vegetarian for 45 years. As a child he lived in the forest where he imbibed a natural attraction to native plants. His great grandmother was a Native American medicine woman. This natural proclivity was revived and he began to study the medicinal uses of native plants in 1975. His search gradually led him to preparing herbal tinctures which he now distributes under Blue Ray Herbs. Darrell has spoken at hundreds of healing seminars as well as civic organizations and universities. He is famous for his herb walks. He also holds seasonal classes at the Blue Ray Retreat Center.

HOT STUFF! THE HIT OF NEW ORLEANS - Comedy cabaret with singing comedienne Beckey Allen, funnyman/singer Chris Wecklein and musician/puppeteer Harry Maryronne.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Guide: Susan Capley

The Honky Tonk Revue plays vintage Honky Tonk, Rockabilly and Classic Country music with a heavy dose of Western Swing for good measure. They sit poised on the edge of a country music revolution with the marketplace awakening to a new generation of musicians who have a deep-seated love and appreciation for the tried and true Honky Tonk sound.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Don Vappie is descended from a long line of New Orleans musicians that goes back to the nineteenth century. A Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame Nominee, Don is one of the most recognized and respected names among musicians who hail from the crescent city. With his group, the Creole Jazz Serenaders, he has re-introduced the excitement of the early jazz styles to audiences around the world. These accomplishments along with his appearance as star of the PBS documentary, American Creole:New Orleans Reunion earned him a recognition award from the La. Creole Research Society and a Creole People's Award from the Creole Heritage Center at Northwestern State University.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

"Love is for the Birds" - medieval and renaissance takes on love.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Award winning singer, songwriter, musician and actor Jessie Moore, whose 2005 CD "More Than Life Itself", was noted as a grand collaboration with some of New Orleans' best songwriters and musicians, and recognized as "One of the Top 10 CD's of the year," by The Times-Picayune.

Chip Wilson, a roots music singer/songwriter, described as a "guitar virtuoso", has travelled internationally performing a mix of classic and original American music: Jazz, Blues, Folk, Country and R&B.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

The ragtime era was an exciting time when previously unheard of privileges and pleasures were exercised, like dancing in public cheek to cheek. The New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra will transport you back to those days of ragtime music, along with stirring marches, joyous cakewalks, sultry blues, and elegant waltzes.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Founded in 1981, the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans performs primarily the great masterpieces for chorus and orchestra. A volunteer group drawing singers from all over the city, it serves as the Principal Chorus of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Albinas Prizgintas and the Yellow Dog Prophet Choir present a "Tribute to the Fourth of July" - a program of music celebrating our rich American musical heritage and the spirit and freedom we have as Americans.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

A local boy, Philip Melancon performs the musical spirit and style of his hometown, New Orleans. As complex as gumbo, Phil cooks up a variety of musical flavors at once unique and distinctive. Ask anyone on the music scene in the city and Phil's name will be known for he performs at a smorgasbord of venues with many of the top musicians in the area.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

A fun loving group of four banjos, upright bass, and piano will perform music from the 1920's when banjos were all the rage. It's going to be a great evening. Don't miss it.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

New Orleans Gay Men's Chorus is an award-winning ensemble formed in 1982 with the purpose of providing a musical voice to enrich and enlighten diverse communities through outreach and the pursuit of artistic excellence.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Ms. Walker has swing in abundance, and warmth and good humor in her voice, plus the ability to sound as if she is in the room with you reaching out to get you on your feet as she sings.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Jonno Frishberg and Bo Ledet lead a talent-packed lineup of New Orleans area musicians who specialize in regional and original music. When you hear their unique groove, your head will turn and your feet will move. Performing regularly in New Orleans over the last four years, Bayou DeVille has developed an organic, rural-meets-urban sound steeped in tradition yet totally fresh.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

A musical evening with "Regeneration" featuring M. I. Scoggin, Nell Saussy, John Parker and Will Robicheaux. M. I. has previously performed her crowd pleasing tribute to Edith Piaf.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Singer/songwriter Paul Soniat will perform his original songs which always entertain and engage the audience. He is sure to have some new songs for this concert, so grab your mint julep and get ready for an enjoyable evening.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

If you like MOTOWN, don't miss this show. Songs from the Temptations ,O'Jays, Marvin Gaye, and Otis Redding will all be part of this soulful tribute to some of the greatest music from the 1970's.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Only in New Orleans could a band like the Moonshiners come into being - a group of seven dedicated, educated young musicians with one goal in mind: carrying on and building upon the tradition of New Orleans jazz. Hailing from around the world and trained in music schools all over, the Moonshiners add a creative modern energy and their unique originals to traditional jazz, whipping up a never-before-heard gumbo of music that is flamboyantly entertaining and toe-tappingly good.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

The Balsa Wood Flyers have been a fixture of the New Orleans Americana/Folk music scene for the past ten years. They incorporate traditional string band instrumentation with stellar harmony vocals to bring to life their own musical creations as well as country, folk, gospel and blues standards.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

A superior and swinging jazz singer, Banu is one of the few vocalists of her generation to maintain exclusive loyalty to songs of the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. Rather than mimic singers of the past, she mixes fresh renditions of Tin Pan Alley standards and jazz classics by Gershwin, Ellington, Berlin, Carmichael, Waller, Porter, et al.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

From Eastern Europe to New Orleans, the panoramic view of the soundscape is pungently condensed to a hip and worldly mix where a freylekh meets a second-line and klezmer meets traditional jazz. Live and acoustic, the Panorama Jazz Band is a rare sonic pleasure in the street or at a club. They always "Come Out Swingin'."

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

Julio and Cesar Herrera, are originally from Guatemala, and have been in New Orleans for over 30 years. Julio and Cesar describe their music as constantly evolving, attributing this, in part, to their exposure from an early age to many cultures. They talk about growing up in Guatemala, and learning to "sing in Italian" and "play Greek music," along with the "folklore music" of the country and other "popular songs that our parents used to sing."

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

John Rankin is a well known solo acoustic guitarist from New Orleans. He is a master of finger style guitar music, applying it to an eclectic array of genres: classical, jazz, folk, blues, and classic New Orleans music. In addition he sings in a smooth relaxing manner and plays harmonica in a neck rack in a very intense and melodic style. He also is a songwriter, with many witty and thoughtful songs in his large and frequently changing repertoire.

Mint juleps, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase, no outside food and drink or pets allowed. Admission is not included in Friends of City Park membership.

Click here to purchase tickets for adults online now!
Tickets for children available only at the gate.

None currently scheduled.

None currently scheduled.

Mark Meunier holds a B.A. in Biology from UNO. He is a naturalist and avid birder. He has attended several birding events including the Annual Grand Isle Bird Count and the St. Francisville Bird Fest. Mark has been a dedicated New Orleans Botanical Garden staff member for nine years.

Take a walk with Tom Campbell through the Couturie Forest Nature Trail and Arboretum. He will discuss the natural history of the area, tree identification, the reconstruction efforts and the educational uses of the arboretum trail. Meet at the Couturie Forest trailhead on Harrison Avenue in City Park. Appropriate walking attire needed.

Tom Campbell is an Urban Forester with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, graduated from LSU in Forestry and Wildlife Management. For over twenty-five years, Campbell has been active in environmental education and reforestation. He spearheaded the development of the Couturie Forest Nature Trail and Arboretum.