NEW ORLEANS, LA — Arts New Orleans announces the 12th edition of LUNA Fête, taking place November 13–15, 2026, from 5–10 p.m. nightly. Spanning Gallier Hall to Piazza d’Italia, this year’s festival presents The Puppetry Parade, an illuminated procession that brings the streets of New Orleans to life through light, movement, and storytelling.
Launched in 2014, LUNA Fête has grown into the nation’s longest-running large-scale projection mapping festival. An initiative of Arts New Orleans, the festival celebrates the city’s creative industries and brings communities together through light, art, and technology, with most programming free and open to the public.
This year’s theme, The Puppetry Parade, brings together monumental light sculptures and handcrafted illuminated puppets. Celebrating puppetry as one of humanity’s oldest storytelling forms, the festival explores light as a universal language that connects communities. Rooted in New Orleans’ rich tradition of public procession, The Puppetry Parade reimagines the parade as a shared artistic experience: glowing figures become moving sculptures, participants become performers, and the city itself becomes the stage.
“The Puppetry Parade celebrates joy as a civic force and light as a symbol of possibility,” said Arts New Orleans President & CEO Joycelyn Reynolds. “LUNA Fête is a celebration of what artists make possible through transforming our shared spaces, bringing people together, and helping us see our city in new ways. It also offers a window into the work Arts New Orleans does year-round: investing in artists and creating opportunities for creativity to strengthen the cultural and civic life of New Orleans.”
Beyond puppetry, visitors can experience large-scale projection mapping, light installations by local and international artists, interactive artworks, an art market featuring artists from across the Gulf South, and local food and beverage vendors. Piazza d’Italia will feature exclusive installations and a DJ and silent disco activation by Dohm Collective.
The majority of the festival is free and open to the public. A suggested donation of $10 will be accepted on site to help support LUNA Fête. Admission to the Piazza d’Italia is $15, children ages 12 and under enter free. Tickets may be purchased on site at the gate.
Guests can also purchase a separate Gallier Hall VIP experience, featuring premier projection viewing, an open bar, small bites, and priority restroom access. Visit lunafete.org for admission and VIP details.
LUNA Fête: Festival of Light, Art, and Technology
November 13–15, 2026 | 5–10 p.m. nightly
Gallier Hall to Piazza d’Italia
lunafete.org
Additional artists, programming, and participation opportunities will be announced in the coming weeks.
LUNA Fête’s presenting sponsors are the National Endowment for the Arts, Jones Walker, LLP, Ochsner Health, New Orleans & Company, the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Foundation (NOTCF), Morris Bart, LLC, and Susan and Ralph Brennan.
ABOUT ARTS NEW ORLEANS
Arts Council of New Orleans, doing business as Arts New Orleans, is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1975 and designated as the official arts agency for the City of New Orleans. The organization supports public art and artists, creating work that inspires, connects, and enriches the community through creative expression.
MEDIA CONTACT
Jordan Koppens
Marketing Director
Jordan@artsneworleans.org
601-918-4167