If you’re planning a bar crawl in New Orleans, then you’ve heard the stories. You’ve seen the pictures. You think you’re ready.
You’re not.
The French Quarter doesn’t play by normal rules. What gets you arrested in most cities? Totally legal here. What seems harmless? That’s how you end up face-down on Bourbon Street at 10 PM.
Here’s what actually matters when you’re bouncing from Pat O’Brien’s to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop.
The Go Cup Is Your Best Friend
Ask for a “go cup” when you leave any bar. It’s a cheap plastic cup (free at most places) that lets you take your unfinished drink onto the street. Glass bottles? Illegal on sidewalks and streets. Metal cans? Same deal. Only plastic works.
Most bars keep stacks of go cups near the door or on the bar. Don’t see them? Ask the bartender. They’ll hook you up.
Some tourists bring their own reusable cups to cut down on waste. Bartenders might pour your drink into it if they’re not slammed. Most won’t. Just transfer the drink yourself after they hand it to you.
Not Every Bar Wants Your Outside Drink
You can walk the streets with alcohol. You cannot walk into most bars with alcohol.
Some places wave you through if you look ready to order. Others make you chug your drink at the door or dump it. A few dive bars don’t care at all. But the rule is simple: when you enter a new bar, buy a new drink.
Restaurants are stricter. Don’t bring your go cup into a sit-down place unless it’s BYOB. That’s just rude.
Water Isn’t Optional
New Orleans is hot. Humid. The kind of weather that turns two Hurricanes into a four-hour blackout.
Every bar has water stations or free water cups. Use them. Alternate every alcoholic drink with water. Your head will thank you tomorrow morning.
The heat alone will dehydrate you. Add alcohol and walking for hours? You’re asking for trouble.
You Can Get Drunk, Just Don’t Look Drunk
Public drinking is legal. Public intoxication is not.
Police don’t arrest people for having a good time. They arrest people for passing out in the street, urinating in public, or getting naked on a balcony. All of which happens more than you’d think.
Pace yourself. New Orleans bars don’t have mandatory closing times. You’ve got all night. You don’t need to sprint through seven bars in two hours.
Closed-Toe Shoes Are Non-Negotiable
Those cute sandals? Wrong choice. French Quarter sidewalks are uneven, cobblestone, and covered in mystery liquids you don’t want touching your feet.
Wear sneakers. Wear boots. Wear anything with support and coverage. You’re walking for hours, probably stumbling a bit, and definitely stepping in things you can’t identify.
Cash Moves Faster
Most bars take cards. Some don’t. All of them move faster when you pay cash.
Set your budget before you leave. Take out that amount in cash. Leave your cards at the hotel. This keeps you from overspending when you’re three drinks deep and feeling generous.
Tip bartenders. This is a tipping city. A dollar per drink minimum. More if they’re making you something complicated.
Eat Before You Start
Nothing ruins a bar crawl like an empty stomach at bar number four.
Grab a po’boy before you hit Bourbon Street. Get beignets at Café Du Monde. Eat something with protein and carbs that’ll stick with you.
Some bars sell food. Erin Rose has po’boys in the back—including vegan options. But don’t count on food being available everywhere.
Know Your Limits Before Someone Else Decides Them
One drink per hour is the safe bet. Faster than that? You’re headed for disaster.
If you’re feeling wobbly, sit one out. If your friends are stumbling, slow down. The bar will still be there in 20 minutes.
Nobody looks cool getting carried out of a bar at 11 PM.
The 24-Hour Thing Is Misleading
Yes, New Orleans has 24-hour bars. No, most bars don’t stay open 24 hours. They close when business slows down—midnight on weeknights, 4 AM on weekends.
When a bar calls “last call,” it’s time to move on. Grab your go cup and find the next spot. The night’s not over. You just need a new location.
This Isn’t Spring Break
New Orleans locals are friendly. They’re also watching you. Act like a fool, and word spreads fast.
Don’t throw trash on the ground. Don’t scream at 3 AM in residential areas. Don’t wear Mardi Gras beads outside of Mardi Gras season, it’s an instant tourist flag.
Respect the city. It’ll give you one hell of a night.
