2025 Best of New Orleans: Entertainment | Best Of New Orleans

Best Bounce Artist

1. Big Freedia (Instagram: @bigfreedia)

2. Ha Sizzle (Instagram: @hasizzlethevoice)

3. Sissy Nobby (Instagram: @sissynobbyy)

Best Burlesque Performer

1. Trixie Minx (Instagram: @trixienola)

2. Bella Blue (Instagram: @bellablueforever)

3. Queen Vampya

Best Casino

1. Caesars New Orleans (8 Canal St., 800-427-7247; caesars.com/caesars-new-orleans)

2. Treasure Chest Casino (4550 Williams Blvd., Kenner, 504-443-8000; treasurechest.com)

3. Boomtown Casino (4132 Peters Road., Harvey, 504-366-7711; boomtownneworleans.com)

Best Drag Performer

1. Debbie with a D (Instagram: @debbiewithad)

2. Laveau Contraire (Instagram: @laveaucontraire)

3. Katrina Waters (Instagram: @katrinawaters504)

Best Festival

1. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (nojazzfest.com)

2. French Quarter Festival (frenchquarterfest.org)

3. Oak Street Po-Boy Festival (poboyfest.com)

Best Food Festival

1. New Orleans Fried Chicken Festival (friedchickenfestival.com)

2. Oak Street Po-Boy Festival (poboyfest.com)

3. Hogs for the Cause (hogsfest.org)

Best Live Music Venue (large)

1. Tipitina’s (501 Napoleon Ave., 504-895-8477; tipitinas.com)

2. The Fillmore (6 Canal St., 504-881-1555; thefillmorenola.com)

3. House of Blues (225 Decatur St., 504-310-4999; houseofblues.com/neworleans)

Best Live Music Venue (small)

1. Maple Leaf Bar (8316 Oak St., 504-866-9359; mapleleafbar.com)

2. Chickie Wah Wah (2828 Canal St., 504-541-2050; chickiewahwah.com)

3. Apple Barrel Bar (Adolfo’s Restaurant, 609 Frenchmen St., adolfosneworleans.com)

Best Local Blues Artist/Band

1. The Andre Lovett Band (Instagram: @alovettmusic)

2. Little Freddie King (littlefreddieking.com)

3. Eric Johnson (Instagram: @officialericjohnson)

3. Tab Benoit (tabbenoit.com)

Best Local Brass Band

1. Rebirth Brass Band (rebirthbrassband.com)

2. Blue Tang People (@bluetangpeople)

3. Hot 8 Brass Band (hot8brassband.com)

Best Local DJ

1. DJ Soul Sister (instagram.com/djsoulsister)

2. Paul Lakeway (instagram.com/paul_lakeway)

3. warm advice (instagram.com/warm.advice)

Best Local Funk Band

1. Dumpstaphunk (dumpstaphunk.com)

2. Galactic (galacticfunk.com)

3. Josh Benitez (facebook.com/babyjoshbenitez)

Best Local Hip-hop Group/Artist

1. Sailem from Hell (@sailemfromhell)

2. Kaye the Beast (instagram.com/kayethebeast)

3. Big Freedia (instagram.com/bigfreedia)

Best Local Movie Theater

1. The Broad Theater (636 N. Broad St., 504-218-1008; thebroadtheater.com)

2. The Prytania (5339 Prytania St., 504-891-2787; theprytania.com)

3. The Prytania Theatre at Canal Place (333 Canal St., 3 Rd Floor, 504-290-2658; theprytania.com)

Best Local Music Artist/Band

1. Robin Barnes & The Fiya Birds (robinbarnesmusic.com)

2. Alizah Starr (alizahmusic.com)

3. Sailem from Hell (Instagram: @sailemfromhell)

Best Local Rock Band

1. STGMA (Instagram: @stgma_nola)

2. The Radiators

3. The Revivalists (therevivalists.com)

Best Local Street Performer

1. Doreen Ketchens (doreensjazz.org)

2. Jourdan Blue (Instagram: @jourblue)

3. The Loud Mime (loudmimeshow.com)

Best Local Theater Company

1. The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans (504-264-2580; twtheatrenola.com)

2. Le Petit Theatre (616 St. Peter St., 504-522-2081; lepetittheatre.com)

3. The NOLA Project (504-302-9117; nolaproject.com)

Best Local Traditional Jazz Group/Artist

1. Preservation Hall Jazz Band (preservationhalljazzband.com)

2. Jeremy Davenport (jeremydavenport.com)

2. Rebirth Brass Band (rebirthbrassband.com)

3. Trombone Shorty (tromboneshorty.com)

3. Wendell Brunious (Instagram: @wendell_brunious_project)

Best Marching Group

1. Amelia EarHawts (aecabinkrewe.com)

2. St. Augustine High School Marching 100 (Instagram: @staugmarching100)

3. The Jamettes (Instagram: @thejametteskrewe)

Best Mardi Gras Parade

1. Muses (kreweofmuses.org)

2. Iris (kreweofiris.org)

3. Endymion (endymion.org)

Best Place to See Burlesque

1. The AllWays Lounge & Cabaret (2240 St. Claude Ave., 504-218-5778; theallwayslounge.net)

2. The Original Nite Cap (1300 St. Bernard Ave., 2nd floor, 504-224-2854; Instagram: @originalnitecap)

3. Her Haus (herhausevents.com)

Best Place to See Comedy

1. Sports Drink (1042 Toledano St.; sportsdrink.org)

2. The Howlin’ Wolf (907 S. Peters St., 504-529-5844; thehowlinwolf.com)

3. Big Couch New Orleans (1045 Desire St.; bigcouchnola.com)

Best Place to See Drag

1. The AllWays Lounge & Cabaret (2240 St. Claude Ave., 504-218-5778; theallwayslounge.net)

2. The Country Club (634 Louisa St., 504-945-0742; thecountryclubneworleans.com)

3. Oz (800 Bourbon St., 504-519-9396; ozneworleans.com)

Best Strip Club

1. The Penthouse Club (727 Iberville St., 504-524-4354; penthouseclubneworleans.com)

2. Rick’s Cabaret (315 Bourbon St., 504-524-4222; rickscabaretneworleans.com)

3. Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club (225 Bourbon St., 504-524-0010; neworleanshustlerclub.com)