It’s Friday. You’re dressed. And you still don’t know where you’re going. You’ve scrolled Instagram until your thumb hurt, texted three people who “might pull up,” and somebody’s cousin swears a spot in the East is doing it tonight, but nobody can name the spot.
That’s over. What’s Poppin’ is New Orleans’ live nightlife map, built by Oddusee NOLA, and it puts every Black-owned bar, lounge and club in the city, on the Westbank, and out to Slidell and the River Parishes on one screen, sorted by tonight.
This is the whole city, not just the Quarter
Most “things to do in New Orleans” lists stop at Bourbon Street. We don’t. What’s Poppin’ covers the 7th Ward, Tremé, Central City, Mid-City, Gentilly, Uptown, the CBD and Warehouse District, the Marigny and Bywater, St. Roch, Algiers and the Westbank, New Orleans East, Kenner, Metairie, LaPlace and the River Parishes. If people are gathering there on a Saturday night, it’s on the map.
We’re talking nearly 200 spots. Neighborhood lounges that have been open since your parents were dating. Rooftops. Daiquiri shops. Sports bars. Hookah lounges. The club with the line around the corner. All of it, pin by pin.
Black-owned first. Always.
Open What’s Poppin’ and the first thing you see is Black-owned venues. That’s not a filter you have to find; it’s the default. Every spot on the map gets checked off by us, and the ones that are ours wear the badge.
Want everything? Tap All venues and the rest shows up too, Black-owned still sorted to the top. But if you came to spend your money where it matters, you don’t have to do anything. The map already did it.
Tap the night. See the move.
Pick Thursday, Friday, Saturday, whatever night you’re going out. The map flips to show only what’s actually happening that night, with the headline for each one: Steak Night, happy hour, R&B night, day party, DJ, live band. No guessing whether a spot is even open.
Every card gives you what you need in one look:
- Hours for that specific night
- Age policy: 21+, 25+, 30+ or all ages, so grown folks know before they pull up
- Cover charge (or no cover)
- Happy hour, drink specials and food specials
- The flyer, straight from the venue
- Directions and Street View so you know the front door before you park
Filter the legend by Bars, Lounges, Clubs, Restaurants or Day Parties and the map shows only that. Looking for a lounge in Kenner on a Thursday? Two taps.
Real moves, right now
This is the kind of thing you’ll find any given week: Thursday Steak Night on a rooftop in the 7th Ward. Happy hour with $8 martinis and $10 wings Thursday and Friday off St. Bernard. A no-cover Saturday in Slidell that turns into a whole party by midnight. Friday lunch that rolls straight into happy hour in Central City.
The map updates as venues update, so what you see is what’s poppin’ this week, not what was poppin’ in 2019.
Made for your phone, made for the parking lot
What’s Poppin’ was built for the moment you’re sitting in the car deciding. Full-width cards, one-thumb scrolling, Directions right on the pin. Save it to your home screen, and you’ll never open the group chat for this again.
How to use it tonight
- Go to oddusee.com/nola/whats-poppin
- Tap tonight’s day
- Pick a neighborhood or scroll the map
- Tap a pin, read the card, hit Directions
- Pull up
Own a spot? Get on the map. It's free.
If you run a bar, lounge, club, daiquiri shop, restaurant with a real bar, or you throw a weekly event, What’s Poppin’ is where New Orleans is looking. Listing is free. Head to Get Listed, tell us your nights, hours, age policy, cover and specials, upload up to five photos or flyers, and we’ll get you pinned.
Black-owned? Say so. You go to the front of the map.
New Orleans has never had a problem with things to do. The problem was knowing about them in time. What’s Poppin’ fixes that. The whole city, every night, Black-owned first, in your pocket.
Tonight’s already on the map. Go see what’s poppin’.