Thursday / Slow fast food : A fast food tasting menu? No, we’re not talking about an over indulgent 1 AM Rally’s run. Tivoli and Lee is hosting a five-course whiskey dinner, consisting of elevated reinterpretations of fast food favorites (for example: a McLobster, a “bloomin’ shallot,” and 3 piece fried rabbit bucket), each paired with a whiskey cocktail. Dinner starts at 5 PM. $65/person (inclusive of food and pairings); call 504-962-0909 for reservations.
Friday / Press play : Expand your cinematic horizons at Cinema Reset’s Open Screen night at Hey! Cafe from 8 – 10 PM. The event allows local filmmakers of all kinds to present 10 minute clips of their works to the public, which are discussed following the screenings. Home movies, student films, unfinished and finished — all of it is welcome at Open Screen night. Films are ordered on a first come, first screen basis. The event is free and open to the public.
Listen to an all-star lineup at NOCCA’s band battle on Friday.
Friday / Carnival couture : From 7 – 9 PM, the Kohlmeyer Circle presents their biannual fashion show, Haute and Handmade, at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. To tie in Carnival season, the show, which showcases the avant-garde costume culture of the American South through the works of various local designers and artists, will spotlight fashion’s capacity to transform identity. Tickets are $12.
Friday / Shane’s shout out : Kremlin Meets the Crescent City feat. Delfeayo Marsalis and Igor Butman at the NOCCA Lupin Theatre, 8:00 PM
Dancers will perform gravity-defying stunts on industrial architecture in Diavolo.
Saturday / Defy gravity : For one night only, the New Orleans Ballet Association presents Diavolo, with members of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, at the Mahalia Jackson Theater at 8 PM. The “action theater” spectacle, directed by choreographer Jacques Heim of Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas, will feature gravity defying stunts, dance, and athletics performed on a playground of industrially-inspired architectural structures. For the finale, the dance performance will be set to a live performance from the LPO. Tickets start at $20.
Before the show, at 7:15 PM, guests can attend a special pre-performance lecture from Himes, on M2 of the Mezzanine level.
Saturday: In a galaxy far, far away / Get ready for a fashion show, costume contest, and talent show trifecta that has blasted out of the atmosphere. Krewe of Chewbacchus kicks of Carnival season with their annual Set your Phasers to Stunning event, in which attendees will compete to be the best dressed or most talented… intergalactic presence, I guess. Prizes (such as a lifetime membership to Chewbacchus) will be awarded in various categories, including (for the first time) best group costume. The musical lineup will feature the sounds of DJ SpyC and the Mighty Wookie Fiyo. The event is from 8PM – midnight at The Howlin’ Wolf. Contests get free entry; $10 online or at the door for non-contestants. Email thunderlord@chewbacchus.org (gotta love that email) to register.
Sunday / It’s a slam dunk : Trying to keep yourself as young and active as possible? Don’t worry, this isn’t an infomercial (thank god). Do something good for your body while giving back to local youth by participating in Elevate New Orleans Sunday Basketball Clinic. The clinic, led by former NCAA athlete Sky Hyacinthe and former high school and semi pro coach Ben Aronin, provides free instruction to 5th – 8th grade boys and girls. The clinic will be split into two sessions: 2 – 3:30 PM for 5th and 6th graders / 4 – 5:30 PM for 7th and 8th graders. Space is limited to 60 kids, so if you know an youngster who’d be interested, sign them up right away. The clinic will be held St. Stephen’s Catholic School (1027 Napoleon). Email or call 504-914-2325 with questions.
Chelsea Lee is associate editor at NolaVie. Email comments to chelsea@nolavie.com.
NOLAbeings Multimedia artist Claire Bangser created NOLAbeings as a portrait-based story project that marries... 
Voodoo in New Orleans: Reviving history: New Orleans fortune telling This article takes a deep dive into the history of Voodoo in New Orleans, its hybridization with Catholicism, and its present-day place in the city's culture. The author visits fortune-tellers in the French Quarter, using their guidance as a tool for introspection rather than a deterministic predictor of the future. Through her experiences in New Orleans, the author feels a mystical connection to both the past and the future. 