KID smART’s beloved community arts festival, ART JAM, will return for its 12th year on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Andre Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice. The event is free, open to families across New Orleans, and presented by Ochsner Health.
The festival highlights art, education, and joy with hands-on activities, live performances, and creative workshops led by local teaching artists and community partners. Children can dive into experiences like gardening, mask making, and puppet building, activities designed to show how the arts spark learning both inside and outside the classroom.
This year’s lineup includes entertainment by the Preservation Hall Brass Band, a sparkle station with Pixie Dust, and a special reading of The Adventures of Gumbo the Shrimp by local author Nicholas Ciaccio. Families can also enjoy offerings from Bayou Road favorites, including Pagoda, Leo’s, Addis Nola, Nonno’s Cajun Cuisine and Pastries, and Coco-Hut.
“This annual family event highlights the incredible work of our partners in our schools and celebrates the creativity, connection and joy that the arts bring to all of us as a community,” says Elise Gallinot Goldman, executive director of KID smART. “We are deeply grateful to our families, partners and Bayou Road neighbors for helping us celebrate the vital role the arts play in education.”
More than a festival, ART JAM reflects KID smART’s mission to integrate the arts into academics. Since its founding in 1999, the nonprofit has reached 63,000 students and 11,000 teachers in New Orleans, transforming classrooms into spaces where learning feels dynamic and joyful.
For details on ART JAM, visit kidsmart.org/art-jam.