New Orleans · Month comparison

January vs April

April ranks #1 overall vs January at #7. Jazz Fest weekend (late April): the city's other peak event — 500,000 people, 12 stages, the best live music in America.

New Orleans January — French Quarter ironwork balconies in winter light

January

#7 of 12 months

Strong option

Mardi Gras season ignites: krewe balls begin and the city starts its slow build toward February.

  • ↑Krewe balls and early Mardi Gras parades begin — the social calendar opens with events most tourists never see
  • ↑Hotels at winter lows before the Mardi Gras premium hits in February; excellent value for the Warehouse Arts District
New Orleans April — Louis Armstrong statue near Jazz Fest at the Fairgrounds

April

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Jazz Fest weekend (late April): the city's other peak event — 500,000 people, 12 stages, the best live music in America.

  • ↑New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (last weekend of April, first of May): 12 stages at the Fairgrounds with everyone from local brass bands to international headliners — the world's greatest concentrated live music event
  • ↑26°C and low humidity: the single most comfortable weather window of the year for outdoor eating, walking, and the festival grounds
FactorJanuaryApril
Weather score
5
8
Value score
7
5
Crowd score
6
4
Events score
6
9
Atmosphere
7
9
Avg high temp16.4°C26.4°C
Monthly rain126mm105mm
Daily sunshine5.5hrs7.8hrs

January trade-offs

  • ↓Coldest month: 6.9°C overnight lows mean a proper coat is essential — not the New Orleans most visitors imagine
  • ↓126mm of rain spread across grey overcast days; the city is atmospheric but not photogenic
  • ↓Mardi Gras season has started but the spectacle is weeks away — you get the build-up, not the explosion

April trade-offs

  • ↓Jazz Fest weekend: hotels within 20 blocks of the Fairgrounds sell out months in advance; prices spike 60–80%
  • ↓The city is genuinely packed during both festival weekends — book Commander's Palace, Dooky Chase, or Cochon weeks out
  • ↓105mm of rain: April showers are real — the Fairgrounds becomes muddy in wet years; bring boots
See all 12 months for New Orleans →January in detail →April in detail →
Scores compare months within New Orleans. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →