For All Y'all
Queer history has always been present in Louisiana, particularly in New Orleans, as it demonstrates how LGBTQ+ people have helped shape the Big Easy, from pioneering Mardi Gras traditions to fighting systemic oppression.
Southern Decadence, largely known as the city's "Gay Mardi Gras," brings the local community and its allies together every Labor Day Weekend.
Southern Decadence has grown exponentially in both participants and visitors, and now draws hundreds of thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and more participants in attendance each year. This year's celebration will be held from Thursday, September 3 to Monday, September 7, 2026.
There will be street party activities that take place in the French Quarter and dance parties in several clubs. Most of the gay bars stay open late, so there will always be a party around. There are several confirmed Southern Decadence celebrations, including pool parties, drag brunches, and street parades.
Located at the intersection of Bourbon and St. Ann streets—the epicenter of Southern Decadence—is Bourbon Pub & Parade, who is offering weekend passes to their celebrations, including different cocktail parties.
Hudson Biemeret, also known as Billy Gay Cyrus at Her Haus, said that Southern Decadence is another way to celebrate queerness and compared it to Pride Month's "debaucherous twin," saying, "I think it's unique in the sense that it celebrates more of what could be considered 'taboo.' I feel more represented as a leather dyke during Southern Decadence than I do most other queer events in the city. While I love that there are family-friendly queer events, it's nice to have events catered towards queer adults."
The Phoenix Bar will be in full swing with their "Hungfest" Musical Showcase Block Party on Friday night, while Bourbon Pub and Parade, the official home of Southern Decadence, will throw their lively parties. Oz will present a four-day and night party from Thursday to Monday for competitions and shows.
Bearracuda's will take over the Joy Theater on Canal Street on Friday. On Saturday, Horse Meat Disco will share a global music collective at the Fillmore, and Joe Fiore will perform a special edition of Furball at Santo's on Decatur Street. Party with porn stars during Fornication, which will be held on Sunday. Hit It is a sex-positive party in several secret locations throughout the city from Friday to Sunday.
Across the city, there will be several pool parties, including Saturday's Banana Boat Pool Party, a private pool party featuring a pool, hot tub, dark rooms, and more, and Renegade Bears, a men-only event featuring an open bar, pool, and hot tub. On Sunday, the Fruit Salad Pool Party will be held at the Pool Club at Virgin Hotels and will have DJs, cocktails, and a skyline view of the city. The Cool Down Pool Party at The Railyard NOLA, Strut Tea Dance with Plane Jane at the Pool Club, and Lords of Leather Decadence Pool Party will be held on Monday.
Drag brunches will be highlighted during the Labor Day weekend festivities. I Beg Your Parton Drag and Burlesque Brunch, a Dolly Parton-themed event at Commons Club at the Virgin Hotels, will be held on Saturday. The Country Club's Drag Brunch is held on Saturday and Sunday, and WigSnatchers Saturday and Sunday, Drag Brunch at Marigny Brasserie will also be held on Sunday.
The 2026 Southern Decadence Parade in the French Quarter will take place Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. and is the main event not to miss.
The parade typically kicks off from the Golden Lantern. This year's Grand Marshals include Rachel Thompson, Romy Thompson, Milan Nicole Sherry, Bobby Mackie, Sam Smith, and Sarah Manowitz.
Before you attend this year's festivities, it's important to recognize how this celebration came about. In 1972, Southern Decadence first served as both a going-away party and welcome party for a group who called themselves the "Decadents." The diverse group were all young college students or recent graduates who were a mixture of male and female, Black and white, and gay and straight. According to the official Southern Decadence website, this group included Michael Evers, his boyfriend David Randolph, Frederick Wright, Maureen and Charlie Block, Robert Laurent, Tom Tippin, Robert King, Robert Gore, Preston Hemmings, Bruce Harris, Kathleen Kavanaugh, David Red, Ed Seale, Judy Shapiro, and Jerome Williams.
Evers and Randolph shared a home together in Tremé, where the Decadents met regularly for their annual Decadence Sunday night bourré, a popular card game in South Louisiana, and croquet games. When Labor Day approached, Randolph and Wright had to leave town, so Maureen suggested the group have one last summer party before school started. The Decadents planned a costume party that included a spiked punch and a lot of drug use on Sunday before Labor Day.
When Evers left the group a few weeks later, Robert Laurent threw a going-away party where 50 people attended dressed up as their favorite Decadent. In 1973, the Decadents threw another party on the Sunday before Labor Day, where they all met at Matassa's Bar and "parade" back to their home. This event was known as the second Southern Decadence but the first official parade.However, in 1974, there was one notable change to the party—Frederick Wright was chosen to lead the parade as the Grand Marshal.
The simple tradition of a house party to a parade changed around 1980 when the focus of Southern Decadence had shifted and the Grand Marshal's parade began instead at the Golden Lantern. In the 2000s, there has been a charity nearly every year to benefit different local and LGBTQ+ nonprofit groups that are chosen by the Grand Marshals.
Although drag shows, parades, and parties are involved in the celebration, Southern Decadence commemorates LGBTQ+ acceptance, giving those a space to live authentically in true New Orleans style. For decades, this festival has paved the way for local queer culture and remains rooted in friendship, hospitality, and chosen family.
