Congo Square, New Orleans, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Congo Square is a small public space in Louis Armstrong Park, on the edge of the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, where enslaved and free people of African descent gathered on Sundays to trade, sing, drum and dance. It matters because the music and dance traditions kept alive here fed into the city's Second Line parades, the Mardi Gras Indians and jazz.

The story behind it

In the colonial and early American periods, enslaved people in New Orleans were sometimes allowed time off on Sundays. Many of them came to this open ground to meet, hold a market and make music. The market gave some people a chance to earn money, and for some of them that money went toward buying their own freedom.

Dances and rhythms with names such as the Bamboula, Calinda, Carabine and Juba were performed here, and travelers came to watch. The traditions carried on and mixed with others over generations, and they are widely seen as roots of New Orleans jazz, rhythm and blues, and the city's street parade culture. Composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk, born in New Orleans, is among those said to have drawn on the rhythms he heard in the city's Creole and African musical world. The gatherings also gave people room to keep spiritual practices alive. Today the square is still a place for drumming and dance, and people gather here regularly on Sundays.

What to look for

• Look at the ground of the square itself, where the layout and markings point to its role as a circle for gathering and dance.
• Notice the signs and markers around the site that explain its history and its place in American music.
• Listen for drumming or live music if you visit when a gathering or event is taking place.
• Take in the setting of Louis Armstrong Park around you, which frames the square as part of a wider story about the city's music.

Tips for your visit

• Plan on 15 to 30 minutes at the square, longer if you want to read the markers or enjoy the park.
• Sunday is the best day to feel what the place is about, since people still gather here to play music and dance. Check current schedules for events.
• The square is an open space within the park, so you can walk up and see it from outside. Check current opening hours for the park.
• The French Quarter and the Tremé neighborhood are close by, so it combines easily with a longer walk on foot.

See it on a quest

The Rhythm of New Orleans: Musical Mystery is a good way to see Congo Square as part of the city's musical story rather than as a single stop. You walk to it as one place on a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join.