Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park
Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park is 16 acres of lawn and plaza at 1 Canal Street, stretched along the Mississippi River at the edge of the French Quarter, and it is the home ground of French Quarter Festival. There is no park parking and no public restrooms in the park itself, so plan on paid parking nearby and the restrooms inside the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium lobby. Glass, tents, canopies and stakes are banned park-wide, and the festival adds bag checks and a no-coolers rule at its gates.
Before you go
- Capacity
- No fixed capacity; Audubon rents it for events of 100,000 or more with up to five stage locations
- Indoor or outdoor
- Outdoor: riverside lawns and plazas, with an open-air covered stage called the NOLA Front Porch at the Governor Nicholls Wharf end
- Official site
- audubonnatureinstitute.org
- Next festival here
- French Quarter Festival, Expected April 2027
Worth knowing before you go
- Nothing parks in the park: pay-to-park lots in the surrounding streets are your only option, and driving on the grass is prohibited.
- There are no public restrooms in the park; outside festival hours the nearest are inside the Aquarium and Insectarium lobby, and the festival brings in portable units with accessible stalls.
- Tents, canopies, sun shades and stakes are not allowed, so shade comes from the shaded seating and misters at the Governor Nicholls Wharf end.
- Glass bottles are banned park-wide, and French Quarter Festival also turns away coolers, ice chests and any outside food or drink at the gate.
- The park closes at 10pm Sunday to Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Festivals here
Venue basics: Paid parking nearby, none in the park · Ferry and streetcar at the foot of Canal Street · Accessible gates at 2 Canal and 300 Bienville.
Is it for you
Choose it if
- You want a free, open-air festival on riverside lawns a short walk from the French Quarter and Jackson Square.
- You are arriving by streetcar or ferry and want the stop at the park's edge.
- You need accessible viewing areas, accessible portable restrooms and a sensory decompression space at a big festival.
Think twice if
- You need to park at the venue: there is no park parking at all.
- You rely on your own shade or picnic: tents, canopies, coolers, glass and outside food are all banned.
- You need permanent restrooms close at hand: the park has none of its own.
- You are planning to camp on site: we don't yet have confirmed information about camping here.
Getting there and parking
The park runs between the Mississippi River and the French Quarter at 1 Canal Street, with Audubon Aquarium and Audubon Insectarium next to it and Decatur Street, Jackson Square, the Convention Center and the big hotels a short walk away. It is open daily from 6am, closing at 10pm Sunday to Thursday and at midnight on Friday and Saturday, and park security answers 24 hours on (504) 378-2510.
There is no parking in the park. Pay-to-park options sit in the surrounding area and are not run by Audubon, and parking or driving on the grass or through the park is prohibited.
Festival-specific · French Quarter FestivalThe RTA's red streetcars on the Canal Street, Rampart and Riverfront lines carry wheelchair lifts, and the Algiers Point Ferry lands in the park between Spanish Plaza and Aquarium Plaza at the foot of Canal Street. Festival gates for Woldenberg Park are at 2 Canal Street and 300 Bienville at Front Street, with a third at 1300 North Peters Street for the Governor Nicholls Wharf zone, and every gate has a security screening and bag check.
Accessibility
Festival-specific · French Quarter FestivalThe gates at 2 Canal Street and 300 Bienville at Front Street are the recommended entry points if you use a mobility device. Accessible viewing areas at the stages are first come, first served with a posted maximum capacity, food and merchandise booths sit along hard-surface or turf pathways, and each portable restroom area includes accessible units.
Confirm your specific needs with the venue before you travel (frenchquarterfest.org).
Camping
We don't yet have confirmed information about camping at Woldenberg Park. The venue's own pages are the place to check: audubonnatureinstitute.org.
Food, water and what you can bring
Glass bottles and containers are prohibited anywhere in the park, along with open flames of any kind, so no cooking, BBQ grills or crawfish boils. Tents, canopies and stakes are banned as wind-catching structures, helium balloons and confetti are not allowed, and animals must be leashed. Food trucks cannot operate inside the park without an Audubon permit.
Festival-specific · French Quarter FestivalOutside food and beverages are not allowed inside the festival gates, and neither are coolers, ice chests, weapons, drones, kites, sun shades, pets or speakers. The festival's 70 or more food and drink booths are cashless, so bring a card or phone payment.
Sound and sensory
Amplified music in the park needs a permit, may only run between 10am and 10pm, and must stay under 80 decibels.
Festival-specific · French Quarter FestivalBenny's Sensory Activation Vehicle, a fully equipped trailer on the Aquarium Plaza, is a quiet space to decompress if the sights, sounds and crowds become too much.
Recently at Woldenberg Park
We caught African penguins Puddles and Millicent allopreening! 🐧
From the venue · Sep 18, 2026
Raphael the red-eared slider had a little art appreciation moment! 🐢🎨
From the venue · Sep 16, 2026
What would they do with a bubble machine?
From the venue · Sep 16, 2026
Quick answers
Is there parking at Woldenberg Park?
No. There is no parking in the park and driving on the grass is prohibited. Pay-to-park lots in the surrounding streets are the option, and French Quarter Festival has no reserved parking for visitors.
How do I get to Woldenberg Park by public transport?
For French Quarter Festival, the red RTA streetcars on the Canal Street, Rampart and Riverfront lines have wheelchair lifts, and the Algiers Point Ferry lands in the park at the foot of Canal Street, between Spanish Plaza and Aquarium Plaza.
Is Woldenberg Park wheelchair accessible during French Quarter Festival?
Partly. The festival recommends the gates at 2 Canal Street and 300 Bienville at Front Street for mobility devices, runs first come, first served accessible viewing areas at its stages, and puts accessible units in every portable restroom area. Booths sit on hard-surface or turf paths.
Are there restrooms in Woldenberg Park?
Not in the park itself. Restrooms are inside the Audubon Aquarium and Insectarium lobby, and during French Quarter Festival portable restrooms with accessible units are placed in all areas.
Can I bring a cooler or my own food to French Quarter Festival at Woldenberg Park?
No. Coolers, ice chests and outside food and drink are turned away at the festival gates, and glass bottles are banned in the park at any time. Food and drink booths on site are cashless.
Can I put up a tent or sun shade in Woldenberg Park?
No. Stakes and any structure the wind could catch, including tents and canopies, are not allowed in the park, and the festival adds sun shades to its prohibited list. The Governor Nicholls Wharf end has shaded seating and cooling misters.
Is there a quiet space at French Quarter Festival for sensory needs?
Yes. Benny's Sensory Activation Vehicle, a fully equipped trailer on the Aquarium Plaza in Woldenberg Park, offers a place to step away from the sights, sounds and crowds.
How big is Woldenberg Park and how many people fit?
The park is 16 acres of riverside lawn and plaza with no fixed capacity. Audubon rents it for events of 100,000 or more guests with up to five stage locations, including a permanent pavilion stage near the Steamboat Natchez.
A little history
Audubon Nature Institute manages the park on behalf of the Audubon Commission, a public agency appointed by the Mayor of New Orleans. The second phase, Governor Nicholls Wharf, turned the last working wharfs on this stretch into park space and links Crescent Park to the Moonwalk, giving New Orleans 2.25 miles of continuous riverfront park for the first time in generations.
The park is home to the annual French Quarter Festival, a free four-day event running 11am to 8pm each day. Woldenberg Riverfront Park and Governor Nicholls Wharf are two of its six zones, and an information booth sits between Palm Lawn and Berger Lawn.