ABOUT THE EVENT
On Saturday, April 12, 2025 the Louisiana Museum Foundation will host a special event in partnership with The Louisiana State Museum | Cabildo to kick off French Quarter Fest in Jackson Square and to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to New Orleans.
Join Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser as he welcomes and introduces a historical re-enactment of Lafayette’s Address to kick off French Quarter Fest from the Jackson Square stage.
Gates open early. VIP Tickets available to support Louisiana Museum Foundation, and wristbands will include all day access to a hospitality suite on the first floor of The Cabildo, and tours of the new "Bienvenue Lafayette" exhibition to celebrate and honor this monumental anniversary event.
LAFAYETTE’S CONNECTION
A procession of carriages carried everyone to New Orleans, where the City’s Mayor welcomed Lafayette and Lafayette spoke, all under a great triumphal welcoming arch. An imposing arch of Triumph was erected in the center of the square in front of the Cabildo. It was 68 feet high with a massive 40-foot arch. It was decorated with colossal statues of Justice and Liberty. 24 stones each decorated with a gilded bronze star represented the then twenty-four states of the Union. Upon the upper pedestal was written on one side in English and the other in French “A grateful republic dedicates this monument to La Fayette.”