Jazz & Heritage Concert Series: Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles

The Congo Square Rhythms Festival kicks off with a live concert by Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles.

Join us on Friday, March 22, 2024 at 8:00pm for Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center (1225 N. Rampart Street) to kick off the 2024 Congo Square Rhythms Festival.

About Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles:

Joseph “Monk” Boudreaux is the oldest living Mardi Gras Indian Chief, the Elder of Elders in a tradition dating back to the 1800s. As such, he sees himself as the guardian of a spiritual discipline that involves gnostic customs and beliefs shared by members within the New Orleans Black community over the course of multiple generations. He is one of the best-known and loved local culture heroes, ​a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Award​ recipient, ​the subject of murals on city walls and documentaries about New Orleans, and the inspiration for characters in television dramas like the HBO series Treme. He comes by his status as a Mardi Gras Indian chief through bloodlines of both African and Native American ancestry​.

Photo by Eric Simon.

About the 2024 Congo Square Rhythms Festival:

The Congo Square Rhythms Festival pays homage to New Orleans traditions rooted in the African diaspora, particularly significant as it takes place in Congo Square, a historic site where enslaved Africans and free people of color gathered to uphold their cultural practices of music, dance, and camaraderie. This free festival promises a vibrant celebration showcasing local cuisine, African dance and drumming, live music, and an arts market, inviting all to join in the festivities and embrace the enduring legacy of these cultural expressions.

The Congo Square Rhythms Festival features dance and musical traditions of Africa, the Caribbean, the American Gulf South and beyond in this two-day, family-friendly festival. Another free event brought to you by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.

Learn more on congosquarerhythms.com

About the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation:

The Congo Square Rhythms Festival is a program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest, and other raised funds, for year-round programs in education, economic development and cultural enrichment.

For more on what we do, please visit us online at jazzandheritage.org