On the heels of the 2025 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, The Big Easy Cruise announces artist additions to the 2026 line up to continue the celebration of the spirit, music, food and culture of the Crescent City. Grammy Award-winning artist Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Marcia Ball, Johnny Sansone and Pine Leaf Boys will return for their second consecutive voyage, while Grammy-winning duo Larkin Poe and New Orleans native Kyle Roussel will perform on board for the first time.
Following the overwhelming success of the sold out 2025 voyage in only its second year, StarVista Live’s 2026 Big Easy Cruise offers an already stellar line-up that includes performances by Little Feat, Samantha Fish, Galactic Ft. Jelly Joseph (*special appearance at famed club Tipitina’s while the ship is in New Orleans), Anders Osborne, Marc Broussard, Cyril Neville with Omari Neville and The Fuel, Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, The Soul Rebels, Cowboy Mouth, BeauSoleil Avec Michael Doucet, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Chubby Carrier, D.K. Harrell, John “Papa” Gros, Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band, Honey Island Swamp Band, Susan Cowsill, Helen Gillet and more for a musical gumbo of more than 100 live performances.
With food being paramount to the culture of Louisiana, The Big Easy Cruise 2026 is excited to welcome back Chef Kevin Belton for his third consecutive year. Chef Belton was recognized as one of the top twenty Louisiana chefs by the American Culinary Federation in 2014 and recognized by the American Culinary Federation as a Louisiana Culinary Legend in 2018. For almost three decades, he has taught close to 7,000 lessons on Louisiana cooking throughout the U.S. and Canada.
A multitude of special activities will be available to all including live artist interviews and songwriter sessions, themed parties, cooking demonstrations with Chef Kevin Belton, Burlesque shows by Minx Burlesque and much, much more. The Big Easy Cruise is a joyous celebration of all things New Orleans at sea featuring artists across R&B, blues, rock, jazz, swamp pop, and brass bands all thoughtfully curated to deliver the sounds of the Big Easy throughout the day and night.
The Big Easy Cruise will set sail on January 18 – 25, 2026. The ship will depart from Ft. Lauderdale and will stop in New Orleans and Cozumel, Mexico aboard the luxurious Holland America Line m/s Eurodam.
For the second straight year, StarVista Live’s Big Easy Cruise is proud to continue their partnership to benefit the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation (NOJHF). The NOJHF is the nonprofit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (aka Jazz Fest) and their important work continues year-round. With the support of grants, donations, and funds raised from their numerous events, the NOJHF promotes, preserves, and honors the music, culture, and heritage of communities in Louisiana through festivals, programs, and other cultural, educational, civic, and economic activities. They are a long-standing and vital part of the New Orleans community and surrounding region. To learn more, or to donate to New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, please visit JazzandHeritage.org.
For further information, please go to www.BigEasyCruise.com
