Congo Square (OUTDOORS)
Congo Square is one of the most hallowed sites in American music history. This area, once a grassy commons behind the original city rampart (now Rampart Street), was one of several gathering places for enslaved people from Africa and their descendants. In the 1700s, under French and Spanish colonial rule, slaves were permitted to buy and sell goods on Sundays. They also played African-style musical instruments and performed dances that originated from their native homes. After New Orleans became part of the United States in the early 1800s, a city ordinance limited gatherings of slaves to this spot, and only until sunset. Still, the weekly ritual sustained a continuum of African culture in the New World, with profound implications for the future of music.
Upcoming Shows
We'll be live video streaming from Congo Square Rhythms Festival on Saturday and Sunday! You can watch live at wwoz.org/livevideo or on our Facebook page. Here's the streaming schedule (subject to change):
SATURDAY, MARCH 26
11:30am to 11:45 am Drum circle
11:00am to 12:15pm Paulin Brothers Brass Band
11:45pm to 12:30pm Margie & Sula Present the Wanderfuls
12:30pm to 1:45pm The Stooges Brass Band
12:45pm to 1:45pm Casmé
2:00pm to 3:00pm Tonya Boyd-Cannon
2:00pm to 3:15pm Caesar Brothers Funk Box
3:15pm to 4:15pm Kings of Brass
3:30pm to 4:45pm Erica Falls
4:30pm to 5:30pm James Andrews
5:00pm to 6:15pm Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles
5:45pm to 7:00pm Rebirth Brass Band
6:30pm to 7:30pm Cyril Neville featuring Omari Neville & the Fuel
SUNDAY, MARCH 27
11:30am to 11:45pm Drum Circle
11:00am to 12:15pm Gerald French & the Original Tuxedo Brass Band
12:00pm to 1:00pm African Dance featuring Tekrema, N’Kafu, Culu, Kumbuka Dance Collective and N’Fungola Sibo
12:30pm to 2:00pm Tremé Brass Band
2:15pm to 3:30pm Charmaine Neville
2:30pm to 3:30pm Bamboula 2000
3:45pm to 4:30pm Mardi Gras Indian Battle
3:45pm to 4:45pm Kinfolk Brass Band
4:45pm to 6:15pm Cha Wa
5:00pm to 6:00pm Original Pinettes Brass Band
6:15pm to 7:30pm Hot 8 Brass Band
