What is in season in New Orleans. and what to order when the market changes.

Spring

  • Louisiana crawfish: Peak season runs February through May. Boil-house counters open Friday and Saturday and run sacks through the spring evenings.
  • Strawberries from Ponchatoula: Hammond and Ponchatoula strawberry season runs March through April. The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival lands the second weekend of April.
  • Soft-shell crabs: First runs from the Gulf in late April. GW Fins and Brigtsen's switch their fish list as the crabs come in.
  • Bell peppers and tomatoes: Plaquemines Parish tomatoes hit Crescent City Farmers Market in late April through June.
  • Jazz Fest food: The Fair Grounds food tents run cochon de lait po-boys, crawfish bread and mango freezes through both Jazz Fest weekends in late April.

Summer

  • Sno-balls: Hansen's Sno-Bliz on Tchoupitoulas runs March through October; the cream-of-nectar with condensed milk is the canonical order in 95-degree humidity.
  • Gulf shrimp brown season: Brown shrimp season runs May through July. Crescent City Farmers Market and the docks at Westwego have shrimp boats unloading daily.
  • Watermelon and figs: Plaquemines watermelon peaks in July; Mid-City and Mississippi figs land at the Saturday markets through August.
  • Heirloom Creole tomatoes: True Creole tomatoes from Plaquemines hit markets June through August; the Creole Tomato Festival lands in mid-June at the French Market.
  • Sazerac season: Tales of the Cocktail conference lands at the Sheraton in mid-July; bars across the Quarter run guest-shift programmes and Sazerac specials all week.

Autumn

  • Louisiana oysters R-months: September restarts the oyster R-months tradition; Acme, Casamento's and Felix's pull cold-water Gulf oysters from September through April.
  • Plaquemines satsumas: The Plaquemines Parish satsuma harvest peaks late October through December; crates appear at every farm market in the city.
  • Gumbo weather: First cool fronts in late October trigger gumbo season; Mandina's, Liuzza's by the Track and Brigtsen's pull gumbo z'herbes onto specials.
  • Boudin and Cajun pork: Cool weather sees Cochon Butcher and Mosquito Supper Club lean into boudin and the boucherie tradition through autumn.
  • Po-Boy Festival: Oak Street Po-Boy Festival lands the second weekend of November on Oak Street in Carrollton, with 40-plus vendor stalls.

Winter

  • King cake season: Twelfth Night (January 6) through Mardi Gras (February 17, 2026). Dong Phuong on Chef Menteur, Bywater Bakery and Haydel's are the cult kings of the king cake season.
  • Creole Christmas reveillon menus: Many Creole grandes dames (Antoine's, Galatoire's, Commander's Palace) run reveillon (Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) special prix-fixe menus through December.
  • Crawfish soft start: The first crawfish boils start in January in mild years; meat is small early. Sacks fully fill out by mid-February.
  • Mardi Gras throws and beads: Carnival parades roll the last two weekends of February through Fat Tuesday. Krewe of Bacchus, Endymion and Zulu all roll the final weekend with king cake and street food.

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