NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans & Company leadership announced the creation of Fit Fete New Orleans, a weekend-long wellness festival anchored in City Park’s Tad Gormley Stadium Friday, Nov. 13, 2026 and Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026.
Partnering with New Orleans & Company in hosting Fit Fete are City Park Conservancy, Premier Event Management, and WellNXT, a premier destination for health enthusiasts, innovators and brands.
“New Orleans & Company is excited to host this inaugural event in an effort to fuel transformation,” said Walt Leger III, president and CEO of New Orleans & Company in a release about the event. “This is more than a series of events. It’s a movement. A moment where business meets betterment. Where beads, beats and balance collide. Where we say yes to living whole – not just on race day or game day, but every day. It’s our effort to join with valued partners to support the New Orleans workforce in living longer, stronger, and more fulfilled lives. We’re modeling what it means to eat with care, and we’re building a blueprint that other cities will follow.”
Home base for all events will be New Orleans City Park
“Fit Fete reflects exactly what City Park strives to be, a place where our community can grow stronger together,” said Rebecca Dietz, president and CEO of City Park Conservancy. “Hosting this inaugural event at Tad Gormley Stadium and across the Park underscores how vital accessible, active public spaces are to New Orleans’ future. We’re thrilled to welcome thousands of athletes, families, and companies to experience a Park that not only honors its history, but embraces a healthier, more connected New Orleans.
According to the organizers, Fit Fete will include three key components:
- Community Games will be held Friday, Nov. 13, with team sports competition, individual sports competition, team-building exercises, and community service efforts including a blood drive and food collection drive. Other activities will include opening and closing ceremonies, an Athletes Village Health Expo, and a Celebration Concert to close the day.
The Community Games Component’s Challenge Period will begin in April 2026, with the Crescent City Classic, continue with through August with Pickle Ball Fest, and with other activities and events during the eight month stretch to be determined. The culmination of the 2026 Fit Fete initiative will be where local and regional companies compete in the multisport Community Games competition promoting employee health and wellness, team building, and community engagement. Registered participants will accrue points throughout the eight- month period, culminating in final points earned shown on the 2026 leaderboard.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, will see the return of the New Orleans Marathon, presented by Premier Event Management, led by Bill Burke. Race day will include a full marathon, a half-marathon, a marathon relay and a 5K run, all starting and finishing in City Park. The double-loop marathon course will begin at the New Orleans Museum of Art, proceeding to the eastern edge of Lakeshore Drive, finishing on the Park’s Roosevelt Mall.
- WellNXT is the heartbeat of Fit Fest Weekend—a vibrant, weekend-long wellness festival anchored at Tad Gormley Stadium. Participants will be invited to step into five immersive zones—Move, Nourish, Breathe, Care, and Play—and sample what feeling good looks like in New Orleans: brass-beat cardio and mobility classes, chef demos that remix Creole & Cajun favorites with a lighter touch, a shaded Breathe Courtyard for meditation and sound baths, on-site screenings and quick PT consults in Care, and kid-powered obstacle fun in Play.
“After a six-year hiatus from the City of New Orleans, Premier Event Management is proud to partner with New Orleans & Company and return the 26.2-mile New Orleans Marathon back to the streets of the Big Easy,” stated Bill Burke, president and race director for Premier Event Management. “What started as a marathon weekend idea scribbled in a notebook 12 months ago, with a double loop marathon course starting and finishing in City Park, has become a full weekend of Community Games and whole wellness, at the inaugural WellNXT Fit Fete for 2026. Join us for what promises to be a great family fitness weekend, at Fit Fete New Orleans and the return of the New Orleans Marathon.”
“New Orleans has always been a city rooted in connection—and now that connection extends to movement, wellbeing, and collective growth,” said Mike Millay, Co-Founder of WellNXT.
To learn more about Fit Fete New Orleans and how to get your company, bank, law firm, or corporation involved visit nolafitfete.com.