2026 Ashé Rooftop Festival & Gala
Dawn your best gown and suit for the Ashé Rooftop Gala on October 16, then invite the whole family for the Ashé Rooftop Festival on October 17.
The Rooftop Gala
The celebration begins with the Ashé Rooftop Gala on Friday, October 16 at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center at 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. across various rooftops. This year's theme is "We Anchor the Culture." The patron party will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the gala from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dress in your finest afro-chic to experience an unforgettable night under the stars. Immersive yourself in the vibrant culture-centered night where art, music, social justice, and Black literature come to life. Enjoy captivating performances from iconic DJs, flavorful cuisine, signature cocktails, and thought-provoking conversations.
Individual tickets are $325 and includes cocktails and food. The High Boy Experience for Two is $600, which gets you and your plus one at your very own reserved high boy table and general admission to the rooftop festival. For a bigger group, the Table for Eight ticket for $2,750 is a great way to experience the night and includes general admission to the rooftop festival.
The Rooftop Festival
The rooftop festival is a family-friendly ordeal, at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, on Saturday, October 17 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The artist lineup and additional festival experiences will be revealed soon. Kiddos 12 years and under are admitted free and teens 13 to 17 are $10. General admission tickets are $20 until September 30.
Looking to upgrade? The VIP buy one, get one tickets are available for $150, allowing room for a plus one and rooftop access. The VIP Experience includes a plush room-style VIP seating, one complimentary premium cocktail, VIP viewing area, complimentary bites, private restrooms, and early access to reserve wellness services.
Ashe's Backstory
The Ashé Rooftop Festival and Gala is a celebration of the beautiful African diaspora. In 1993, the Efforts of Grace, Inc. was formed by a group of African Americans who were concerned about stereotypical and falsely-represented images that became a popular subject for contemporary art exhibits in white-dominated organizations. The concern grew to the point that artist Douglas Redd and writer/producer Carol Bebelle were urged to create a positive and uplifting representation of African Americans for New Orleans.
In its early years, the Efforts of Grace (EOG) was dominated by community visual art and eventually performance art projects throughout the South. Five self-contained installations were developed by Redd and Bebelle, showcasing themes of African descendants' struggle in America and their hopes and dreams for a better life. The exhibits were called "Efforts of Grace," "Grace under Fire," "Savin' Grace," "Throne of Grace," and "Amazing Grace." Throughout the success of these exhibits, an organization needed to support the EOG.
Redd and Bebelle became the founders of the newly named Efforts of Grace by Jerome Smith, a New Orleans community-based leader and Civil Rights Movement hero. In 1998, the EOG was able to lease its current space on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard and the Ashé Cultural Arts Center was established. Once opening its doors, it became clear that the surrounding community, like schools and churches, needed a space too. The Ashé Cultural Arts Center hosted Teacher Corps training, NOPD award programs, family gatherings, and more programs. What began as an welcoming place for the New Orleans community to gather led to a commitment of culture, community, and art by expanding the opportunities for physical, affiliation, and alliance communities.
This year, Ashé is launching its first-ever capital campaign, the $50 Million We Anchor the Culture Campaign, an ambitious initiative designed to strengthen the cultural infrastructure of New Orleans for generations to come. The campaign will allow Ashé to transform and expand on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, increase organizational capacity, and modernize our systems. Investing in the artists, culture bearers, and community institutions that create and sustain New Orleans' cultural economy is a key goal at Ashé.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the gala and festival, visit ashenola.org.
