Loyola University New Orleans
10/29/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/29/2026 07:33
Loyola University New Orleans Students to Perform, Work Behind the Scenes at Freret Street Festival
Loyola University New Orleans Students to Perform, Work Behind the Scenes at Freret Street Festival
By Loyola University on Thu, 10/29/2026 - 08:03 Press ReleasesCollege of Music and MediaUniversity News
University Returns as Major Sponsor; Student-Run Howl Entertainment Books Musical Acts and Manages Stage Production
Students in the College of Music and Media at Loyola University New Orleans will bring their musical and technical talents to this year's Freret Street Festival, gaining hands-on experience in live performance and event production.
Now in its 26th year, the festival celebrates the city's vibrant arts, music and food culture. It will take place Saturday, Oct. 31, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., spanning seven blocks of Freret Street between Napoleon and Valmont avenues.
Students will perform throughout the day on the Valence Street stage, and help manage lighting and sound for the annual event. Students also booked all of the festival's acts this year for the first time as part of their work with Loyola's student-run Howl Entertainment initiative.
Howl Entertainment is part of Wolf Moon Entertainment, the College's creative collective designed to give students industry-ready experience in music performance, management, production and other areas of the entertainment industry. Through coursework and student-led projects, students develop practical skills while working in environments that reflect the demands of the professional music business.
At this year's festival, students will apply their classroom learning to a live event while collaborating with fellow students and industry professionals. The experience allows students to build technical, organizational and event-management skills while contributing to one of the city's most popular neighborhood festivals.
The student acts on the Valence Street stage include Kodjo, Vaish, Tye Chris, Remie Revel, Rosie's Haven, The Dewdrops, fish band! and Lizette Camarena. In addition, Louis Michot & Swamp Magic and the Pinettes Brass Band will perform on the stage.
"Wolf Moon Entertainment gives our students opportunities to explore different sides of the music and entertainment business, and festivals like Freret are where they get to put that experience to work," said Reid Martin, executive director of Wolf Moon Entertainment and Howl Entertainment instructor. "They're learning how to book artists,
run a stage and work with the people who make live music happen. Those connections and hands-on experiences are invaluable as they prepare for careers in the music industry. Partnerships like this allow our students to put their skills into practice while contributing to the music community that makes New Orleans so special."
Students also are gaining hands-on experience with live sound, lighting design, event production management, and AV setup and troubleshooting through their work with NOLA Sound & Light, another student-run initiative under the Wolf Moon umbrella. NOLA Sound & Light is coordinating sound and light for the entire festival this year for the first time.
"We are very excited that our Hilton Chair funds allow us to provide opportunities for our students to travel to conferences like Mondo in New York City, and to perform on local stages at Funk Fest, French Quarter Fest and, especially, Freret Fest, which is just down the street from Loyola," said Jonathan McHugh, Hilton-Baldridge Eminent Scholar/Chair in Music Industry Studies. "The fact that we now have Professor Reid Martin on our Loyola team - and that his Howl Entertainment class is booking the entire festival - perfectly emphasizes the learn by doing approach that Wolf Moon Entertainment provides."
In addition to three live music stages, the festival will have 200 vendors offering food, collectibles, jewelry and art. About 20,000 adults and families typically attend the Freret Street Festival, from 75 local and regional zip codes along the Gulf of Mexico.
About the College of Music and Media
The College of Music and Media is comprised of two schools - the School of Music and Theatre Professions and the School of Communication and Design. Students who choose to study in the college prepare for careers in music, theatre, music industry, graphic design, motion design, UX design, filmmaking, strategy, mass media and more.
Loyola University New Orleans published this content on October 29, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 29, 2026 at 13:33 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]