The weekend is jam packed with crawfish, music, and beer, from Tulane to Mardi Gras World. Gear up for a Spring Brake Yrself race this evening, plus a free festival in Mid City’s beautiful Fortier Park. On this day in 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes effectively ended Reconstruction in the state when he withdrew federal troops from Louisiana. Now, more to do this Saturday. 

The male version of March Madness may command more dollars, but this year they're forced to go to Atlanta. The women, however, get to come to New Orleans, and this weekend the surviving female college basketball teams pack up their gym bags and touch down in the Big Easy for the Women’s Final Four. 

Soon, Mumford & Sons is heading across the pond for their Summer Stampede 2013 Tour covering Canada and the U.S.  New Orleans is one of their 14 stops, and M&S is swinging into Mardi Gras World on June 13th with Michael Kiwanuka and the Mystery Jets. In an effort to make sure as many tickets as possible land in the hands of their fans, M&S will be hosting an invitational lottery beginning today, running through Tuesday, April 2nd.

The City Council passed the first in a series of promised motions that sprang up in the wake of BUKU noise complaints. The New Orleans City Council's discussion surrounding the BUKU Music + Art Festival, held on several stages of Mardi Gras World on March 8-9, lead to new legislation that requires greater cooperation among city offices, and is designed to limit future disturbances.

The BUKU Music and Art Project was responsible for beaucoup noise complaints this weekend. From the Lower Garden District to Gretna, residents along the river got an unsolicited lesson in hip hop and electronic music. While kids clad in neon body paint felt the bass drop, police sirens and angry citizens sang a different tune to local bar owners, and one City Councillor's office.

Tonight, Buku kicks off at Mardi Gras World, the folks from HBO's Treme are having a set sale, and more. On this day in 1836, the modern French Quarter got it’s name, “The Vieux Carre,” after New Orleans was split into three separate cities. Now, more to do this Friday.

Carnival has commenced and with it comes the inebriated nights chasing after floats, the unveiling of dapper debutantes into society and black-tie balls to see you through the morning. Though the fledgling Krewe of Freret won't be partaking in the parade part this year, they're still going to party. The krewe announced their stellar lineup for their second annual open bar black-tie masquerade ball on January 25 at Mardi Gras World.  It’s difficult to beat an open bar filled with anonymous faces in tails.  

As everyone preps their costumes for Halloween, one group of New Orleans revelers are getting little further ahead in their festival planning. Mardi Gras World hosted a press conference today for the Krewe of Endymion to unveil a surprise addition to next year’s ride through Mid City; the Krewe’s “Pontchartrain Beach Then and Now” super float will roll at an unprecedented 330 ft., broken up into 10 individual pieces with the capacity to hold 230 riders. Of course, the Krewe will have throws to match.

NoDef's Dan Goodman looks back at the first-ever Buku Music and Art Project, a St. Patrick's Day weekend-long party at Mardi Gras World. Within the festival, Goodman probes debates within the worlds of electronic music and hip-hop about live performance and, of course, buzz bands.

This weekend, the inaugural Buku Music and Art Project arrives in New Orleans. On March 17 and 18, Mardi Gras World on the East Bank will be transformed into a haven for electronic and hip-hop fans, as roughly two dozen luminaries of these respective scenes will grace a pair of riverside stages.