New artists have been added to the highly anticipated second sailing of the Big Easy Cruise, which will set out January 5 – 12, 2025. The voyage will depart from Ft. Lauderdale and will make stops in Key West, Belize City, and Cozumel on the luxurious Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam.
Keb’ Mo’, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Tin Men, Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, Chambers DesLauriers, Sugaray Rayford, and New Orleans based artist Frenchy will be joining an already stellar line-up of artists. The 2025 Big Easy Cruise will feature Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, The Allman Betts Band, Tab Benoit, Anders Osborne, The Soul Rebels, Marcia Ball, Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Blind Boys of Alabama, Louisiana’s LeRoux, Bender Brass Band, Bonerama, John Boutté, Minx Burlesque, Johnny Sansone, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, John “Papa” Gros, Sierra Green and The Giants, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, J’Wan Boudreaux, and more for a musical gumbo of over 75 live performances and more than 20 interactive artist events. Learn more about the artists HERE.
On the culinary side, The Big Easy Cruise 2025 is excited to welcome back Chef Kevin Belton. 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 US and Canada. Chef Belton has been a featured chef and guest on numerous television food programs produced in the US and UK that have been broadcast in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Click HERE to learn more about Chef Kevin Belton. Acclaimed, genre-defying artist Cole Williams will be joining Big Easy Cruise as co-host, and respected veteran New Orleans music journalist Keith Spera will return as co-host in 2025.
StarVista LIVE is honored to announce a new partnership to benefit the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation (NOJHF) for their 2025 Big Easy Cruise. Launched in 1970, the NOJHF is the nonprofit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (aka Jazz Fest), but when Jazz Fest is over, the Foundation’s most 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 fabric of the New Orleans community and surrounding region. The Big Easy Cruise is proud to help support this incredible organization in their ongoing mission and encourage others to do so as well. To learn more, or to donate to New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, please visit JazzandHeritage.org.
“For StarVista LIVE, it’s just as important to be an active and supportive part of the community as delivering a great experience to the fans,” says StarVista LIVE President Mike Jason. “We want to continue our dedication to the community as well as the culture, the music, and food of New Orleans. Our goal is to generate funding for and contribute our time to New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation for their great work throughout the year."
The Big Easy Cruise is a New Orleans music festival at sea. Cruisers soak up great music, mouth-watering food, and great vibes for a full week. Artists across R&B, blues, rock, jazz, swamp pop, and even brass bands are hand-selected to deliver the sounds of the city every day and night. One-of-a-kind events bring guests alongside leaders, creators, and innovators in music, cuisine and history for a series of events including live interviews and songwriter sessions, theme nights, cooking demonstrations, wine tasting, and much, much more.
For further information, please go to www.BigEasyCruise.com and sign up for the email list, follow Big Easy Cruise | Facebook or contact info@bigeasycruise.com.
