FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2024
Contact: Sandra Dartus, 307.699.2026
December 22 Caroling in Jackson Square & Decorated Home Tour Announced
A New Orleans Holiday Tradition since 1946, preceded by a Holiday Home Tour
Patio Planters of the Vieux Carre is pleased to present the beloved Caroling in Jackson Square tradition to visitors and locals alike on Sunday, December 22, from 7-8 pm. The free community sing-along gathers thousands of people for a festive hour of holiday merriment, with carols led by local dignitaries and clergy. Gates open at 6:30 pm with Patio Planters volunteers stationed there to distribute complimentary song books and candles to participants in the non-denominational community celebration.
To help underwrite expenses associated with the annual Caroling event, Patio Planters offers a
French Quarter Holiday Home Tour featuring private residences with varying architectural styles and home furnishings, festively decorated for the season. The self-guided walking tour takes place from 12 noon until 4 pm, allowing plenty of time to enjoy Reveillon dining or Holiday cocktails prior to Caroling.
More on Caroling:
Mark Romig, senior vice-president and chief marketing officer for New Orleans and Company, will return as master of ceremonies, along with local favorites Harry Mayronne, Chris Wecklein and Amy Alvarez leading carols. For a special treat this year, New Orleans entertainers, The Big Easy Boys and Marshall Harris, will each lead a holiday tune.
Patio Planters President Joey DiFatta invites participation from throughout the local community, region, and nation. He cites this as a momentous occasion. “Caroling has been our gift to people from near and far since 1946,” said DiFatta. “We hope families will plan to spend the day in the historic neighborhood on December 22, visiting private homes decked out for the holidays, shopping and dining, and gathering together in Jackson Square for joy and camaraderie as we celebrate Christmas with song.”
Caroling in Jackson Square will be live streamed on www.nola.com and www.patioplanters.net where songbooks may be downloaded. The event will also be available for viewing after December 23 on WLAE channels. This year’s event will receive marketing support from Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Office of Tourism.
More on the Holiday Home Tour:
Tickets to the tour, which supports the annual Caroling in Jackson Square, are $35 each if preordered online at www.patioplanters.net and $40 the day of the event. Children 12 and under are free. A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase from 11 noon-3:00 pm the day of under the alcove of the Louisiana State Museum Cabildo. Due to popularity, online ticket purchases are strongly encouraged.
###
About Caroling in Jackson Square: Caroling in Jackson Square was created in 1946 by members of Patio Planters of the Vieux Carre, a volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation and beautification of the French Quarter.Throughout the year, the nonprofit organization hosts the Secret Garden Tour, the Holiday Home Tour, and other events to raise funds to pay for police and barricades, sound and musicians, candles and song books, Jackson Square clean-up and the myriad of increasing costs necessary to present the annual gift of Caroling in Jackson Square to the people of New Orleans and the visitors to our city.
