In partnership with the Louisiana State Museum | Cabildo and the American Friends of Lafayette present a celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s New Orleans visit.
Bienvenue Lafayette
Join Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the American Friends of Lafayette at 10 AM in Jackson Square as he welcomes a historical re-enactment of Lafayette’s Address to the City of New Orleans by Mark Schneider of Colonial Williamsburg to kick off Saturday at French Quarter Festival from the NewOrleans.com by New Orleans & Company Stage.
The re-enactment is in conjunction with the opening of the Bienvenue Lafayette exhibit at The Cabildo, which offers a fascinating look into the life of the General Lafayette, his pivotal role in American independence, his 1825 United States grand tour celebrating the nation’s 50th Anniversary of Independence, and his memorable visit to Louisiana.
Following the reenactment of Lafayette’s Welcome Address, The Louisiana Museum Foundation will host the Lafayette Lounge inside The Cabildo starting at 11:30 am. Tickets to the Lafayette Lounge include all-day re-entry to the first and second floors of The Cabildo Galleries, inclusive of the new Bienvenue Lafayette exhibition, as well as two free drink tickets followed by cash bars, complimentary food, clean bathrooms, air conditioning, and comfortable seating to retreat from the hustle and bustle of French Quarter Fest.
Wristbands are $50 and the Lounge is open until 4:00 PM.
$10 Youth Tickets are Available to those 17 & Under
Lafayette’s 1825 Visit
Lafayette arrived in New Orleans on a rainy afternoon of April 10, 1825 after a grand welcome celebration at the Chalmette battlefield. Amidst a majestic procession into the city, Mayor of New Orleans, Louis Philippe de Roffignac, warmly welcomed Lafayette in the Plaza d’Armas. Where the Andrew Jackson Statute stands in the center of the square today, there was an Arch of Triumph, which rose 68 feet high with a massive 40-foot arch, marking the significant of the occasion welcoming the “Hero of Two Worlds.” Lafayette delivered his speech underneath the Arch adorned with colossal statues of Justice and Liberty, and 24 stones, representing the twenty-four states of the Union at the time, each etched with a gilded bronze star. The upper pedestal of the Arch featured an inscription, in both English and French, which read, “A grateful republic dedicates this monument to La Fayette.”
During his five-day stay, Lafayette resided at the Cabildo with full view of the grand Arch of Triumph, which sat in the Plaza, then unimproved with a simple iron fence and rows of sycamore trees along the side, but with the view of the levee, which was a favorite promenade of New Orleanians in the 1820s as well.
For Questions or to Become a Sponsor Contact info@thelmf.org