Sacred Music Festival 

March 22nd, 2025

10am – 12pm Peace walk
starting at St. Roch Park

12pm – 7:30pm Main event
at New Orleans Healing Center

Volunteer | Donate

Schedule:

9:00am Drepung Gomang Monks Opening Ceremony
Traditional Tibetan chants and rituals & sand Mandala Initiation
10:00am – 12:00pm Peace Walk from St Roch Park to New Orleans Healing Center
12:00pm – 12:30pm Fire Puja &
Andrew Wiseman and Ewe Ensemble
West African spiritual drumming
12:30pm – 1:15pm Tanya Boyd Youth Choir
A celebration of gospel music
1:20pm – 1:50pm Go Real LA Strong
Sonny D504
KLIS
King Sia
Big C
1:55pm – 2:00pm Rafiq Abdul Limar- Muslim Call to Prayer
A sacred recitation
2:00pm – 2:45pm New Orleans Zen Temple Choir
Buddhist chants
2:50pm – 3:20pm Go Real LA Strong
Ayakashi Krewe
Skii Wii
Sonny D504 & New Orleans Own D.Strong (Gorealla Strong)
3:25pm – 4:10pm John Boutte
New Orleans jazz and gospel
4:15pm – 4:45pm Go Real LA Strong
Open Mic Cypher
4:50pm – 5:35pm La Source Ancienne Ounfo
Vodou ceremony featuring drumming and spiritual invocation
5:45pm – 7:15pm Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band
Mantra music blending Eastern and Western influences

About the New Orleans Sacred Music Festival

The New Orleans Sacred Music Festival is a unique annual event, one of only six festivals of its kind in the world. It serves as a gathering place to share the music and traditions of diverse faiths and cultures, creating a healing space where people can connect through singing, dancing, listening, prayer, and celebration. Inspired by the mystic Meister Eckhart’s image of an unstoppable “underground river” of the divine, the festival offers a chance to experience the sacred unifying force that flows beneath us all.

The festival showcases the beauty of diverse traditions side-by-side, from the Muslim Call to Prayer to Jewish songs and Tibetan monks dancing to Gospel music. It explores the spiritual dimensions of well-known musicians and highlights unique musical collaborations. Past festivals have featured a wide range of performances, from Deacon John’s spirituals to taiko drumming reimagining second lines and poetry interwoven with medieval chants, demonstrating the many forms of sacred music.

Beyond the performances, the festival experience includes a St. Roch Avenue peace walk, interactive workshops, a youth program, and striking altars representing various faiths. It’s a celebration that’s both steeped in tradition and cutting-edge, embracing the uniquely funky sacredness of New Orleans. The festival fosters understanding and appreciation among people of all backgrounds, promoting a move from diversity to true pluralism.