Weekend plans in New Orleans? We have the solution for you. | Entertainment/Life

Two parades, a last chance to get wet, music and more characterize Labor Day weekend in New Orleans.

It is truly one of those “only in New Orleans” events. Mermaids, mermen, pirates and other seafarers will gather on the riverfront in the French Quarter at 6:30 p.m. Saturday to THE MERMAID PARADE, a procession with proceeds benefiting the Audubon Aquarium's education department. Organized by Krewe du Fool, the event begins at St. Philip Street and the river and then “floats” upriver through Woldenberg Park to the aquarium. The fee to participate is $25. Swim over to learn more.

There will be an abundance of bubbles, bangles, boas and big hair when the PARADE OF SOUTHERN DECADENCE parades through the French Quarter at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The parade is one of the highlights of the weekend-long LGBTQ+ celebration. It is a street spectacle with marching groups, dance ensembles, costumes, bands and large crowds that includes Grand Marshals Venessa Carr Kennedy, Jeffrey Mayeux and Paribe Meyer. Rumor has it that Tony winner Billy Porter will be at one of the French Quarter's bars after the parade, just for photos. The parade starts at Royal and Barracks Streets, moves through the Vieux Carré and ends at Bourbon and St. Philip Streets. Additional events take place at various locations and times throughout the city. southerndecadenceparade.com.

Two nights, two divas, one voice in one place. That's the recipe for a musical mashup featuring the vocal talents of Anaïs St. John at the Double Dealer under the Orpheum Theater. The local singer will play Tina Turner songs for “SIMPLY THE BEST.” Then on Saturday at 8pm she will train her talent with the disco goddess Donna Summer for “SWEEP OUT.” The setting for both shows is the vaudeville-era speakeasy, 129 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans. Tickets for each show start at $20. Check out the divas here.

Speaking of “last dance (or in this case last dive): The days of the 2024 season at the Audubon Cool Zoo in the Magazine Street Zoological Garden are numbered. LAST SPLASH is open Saturday through Monday, with sessions daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The water park includes the Gator Run Lazy River and the Alligator Splash Zone with slides, water play equipment and more. Tickets for the wet area start at $13, and zoo admission is required. Find tickets and more information here.

It's a fun weekend in the local space for improvisation, standup and more for the BIG COUCH BINGE: ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY Friday and Saturday at the trendy spot at 1045 Desire St. Founded in 2020, the local group, which aims to encourage creativity, imagination, collaboration and more through classes and shows, moved into its new home last year. Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. there will be all kinds of entertainment, from improvisation to stand-up, juggling to puppetry and much more. Tickets start at $25. Get comfortable on the “couch” here.

On the occasion of the 19th anniversary KATRINA MARCH AND SECOND LINE commemorates the tragic events of 2005 surrounding the deadly and destructive hurricane. Events begin with a healing ceremony at noon at North Gakvez Street and Jourdan Avenue in the Lower Ninth Ward where the levees broke. The procession begins in a celebratory mood, gathering large crowds and lifting spirits as it moves upriver on St. Bernard Avenue to Hunter's Field on N. Claiborne Avenue, where a rally with speakers, artists, vendors and more will take place around 1:30 p.m. For more information, click here.

The words of John Scott serve as a guide for an unconventional animation workshop led by Jonathan Brown, “Animate John Scott” from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Helis Foundation's John Scott Center, 938 Lafayette St., New Orleans. Musician, poet and digital creator Brown will help create the immersive experience, where participants will create and record subtitles and sync them with an interview with the legendary Scott. Get caught up in the excitement here.

As a key figure in folk rock for decades, perhaps it is time AN EVENING WITH AL STEWART when the platinum-selling artist plays the Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 6400 Airline Drive in Metairie, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The British entertainer, best known for his albums “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages,” is performing for one night. Tickets start at $45. For more information, click here as you run like a river through the Year of the Cat.

The one-month CHALLENGE FOR VEGAN CHEFS kicks off Sunday with restaurants across the metro area offering special dishes on their menus. Guests have the opportunity to dine, vote, comment and post photos of their meals. Organized by Vegan Outreach, with Humane Society NOLA, Vegan 2 the Soul and others, the offerings include fine dining and neighborhood spots and plenty of places in between. Check out participating restaurants and plan your feast here.