Best Bets: Get in on the fun in New Orleans Aug. 25

August stays active with plenty to do around the Crescent City, from home shows to vampire confabs ... a bit of Carnival cavorting and lots of music.

Paul Wesley, a star of the CW's 'Vampire Diaries,' will be among celebrities at the vampire gathering.

Vampire fans, unite! Finally, something to sink your teeth into when a host of performers and guests descend on the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for VAMPIRE FAN WEEKEND CONVENTION Friday to Sunday. "Vampire Diaries" actors Paul Wesley ("Star Trek: Strange New Worlds") and Covington's own Ian Somerhalder ("Lost") headline for autographs and photo ops. Panels and vendors are on the agenda. Tickets start at $60 for admission. Check out the fun and fangs here.

For two days, the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner becomes the place to find information about home and garden at the annual Pontchartrain Home Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $8 and include the Langensteins Food Festival, with samples, tastings, coupons and more.

The PONTCHARTRAIN HOME SHOW will once again feature items, information and professionals for just about every room in the home from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner. The two-day event will also feature the LANGENSTEIN'S FOOD FEST — a cornucopia of samples, tastings, recipes and more culinary ideas from the locally owned grocery chain. The center is located at 4747 Williams Blvd., at Lake Pontchartrain. Tickets start at $8. Check it out here.

Singer Frankie Valli.

Since 1962, FRANKIE VALLI has been singing about the American experience, from his days as a Jersey boy to a Vegas headliner and as an icon of music that has been recounted on stage and screen. With The Four Seasons, Valli brings his legendary vocals to the Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St., Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $45. Get into the sound of a generation here.

It's the final Saturday of 2023's ART & A/C program that provides Louisiana residents free admission to a number of museums in New Orleans, perfect for family fun out of the sun in the cool and arty spaces. Provided by the Helis Foundation as an extension of their Art for All program, admission is waived at the Contemporary Arts Center, Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Find out more about the cool deal here.

Jude Peranio, 4, a participant in the Sensory Friendly Morning, walks through the National World War II Museum with his aunts, uncles, cousins and parents during the soft opening of Sensory Friendly Morning Saturday in New Orleans, Saturday, May 29, 2021. Sensory Friendly Morning Saturdays are expected to continue on the last Saturday of the month. Families with reservations are able to arrive an hour before the museum officially opens and receive a sensory bag from KultureCity with noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, fidgets and nonverbal cards. The volume on many of the exhibits are turned down or off for a quieter experience. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)

The early bird gets a chance to experience the National WWII Museum in a unique way Saturday at 8 a.m. for SENSORY FRIENDLY MORNING at the facility at 945 Magazine St., New Orleans. Individuals of all ages with special needs and their families get into the world-class attraction, with modifications to make the experience more sensory-friendly. Tickets start at $7. Check out the museum and more here.

Stooges Brass Band recovered its recently stolen van Wednesday.

Food, music, pop-up shops, a kids zone and more are part of the LOWER 9 FEST Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Oliver Bush Playground, 2500 Fats Domino Ave., in the historic Lower 9th Ward. Look for the Stooges Brass Band and the CTC Steppers Social Aide and Pleasure Club, plus more than 25 performers on two stages. Community resources will also be a big part of the fest. Get more information on the fest here.

There are four chances to catch the theatrical version of the children's television series when "BLUEY'S BIG PLAY" comes to the Saenger Theatre Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The musical fun features the title character in puppets in this first show where Bluey and Bingo try to get Dad off the bean bag for some afternoon activities. The theater is located at 1111 Canal St., New Orleans. Tickets start at $40. Hop over some weekend fun here.

Mid-Summer Mardi Gras costumer Emily Stein.

With only six months until Fat Tuesday, it must be time for the Krewe of O.A.K. MIDSUMMER MARDI GRAS parade and street party Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Maple Leaf Bar at 8316 Oak St. The summer procession heads to South Carrollton Avenue, U-turns at Zimple Street, then U-turns again on Cohn Street. At Oak Street, it disbands and the merriment in the street begins with live bands and more. Put on those marching shoes and head over here for more details.

THE BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY live concert recreates the entire iconic "Hotel California" album from the supergroup The Eagles in a concert experience including the music and visual effects and such megahits as the title track, "Wasted Time," "Pretty Maids All in a Row" and "New Kid in Town." The concert starts at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 6400 Airline Drive, Metairie. Tickets start at $42. Head over to the concert and experience "Life in the Fast Lane" here.

Writer Dan Baum, left, with singer-songwriter Paul Sanchez and lyricist Colman deKay. Baum's New Orleans chronicle "Nine Lives" was turned into a musical by Sanchez and deKay.

Singer-songwriter Paul Sanchez, the co-writer of the musical adaptation of Dan Baum's Hurricane Katrina ode "Nine Lives," will perform "MUSIC FROM THE HEART," and be joined by Vance Vaucresson, Alex McMurray and Glenn Hartman for a concert at the Historic BK House & Garden on Sunday at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $30. Grab tickets for the event here.

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