Diplo and Trombone Shorty Headline 2027 Shorty Gras as Tours Expand

Festival lineups for the 2027 New Orleans Carnival season, a new family-oriented private membership club in Nashville, and a 40-week national arena tour anchored cultural and hospitality dispatches this weekend.

Diplo, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue to Headline Shorty Gras on January 30, 2027

The Krewe of Freret announced that DJ and producer Diplo will return to New Orleans to headline the annual Shorty Gras post-parade concert at Mardi Gras World on Saturday, January 30, 2027. Running from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. immediately after the Krewe of Freret's traditional Uptown parade rolls at 3:30 p.m., the 2027 stage bill pairs Diplo with 2027 parade Grand Marshal Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and New Orleans artist Fly Boi Keno, while Greg Rhoades and Ashley J. Roché reign as King XV and Queen XV.

First launched at Mardi Gras World in 2020 with $50 general admission tickets—and following a 2026 edition that featured sets from Trombone Shorty, Big Freedia, ZEDD, Juvenile, and Diplo—the 2027 Shorty Gras lists general admission tickets starting at $75 and VIP passes at $225. Entry is restricted to guests ages 18 and older, with alcohol service limited to patrons 21 and up. Krewe of Freret Captain Bobby Hjortsberg noted that the organization continues to emphasize locally made, sustainable parade throws and local vendors.

Strategic Hospitality Partners With Andrew and Molly Sohr on Nashville's 2028 Carousel Club

In Nashville, husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Andrew Sohr and Molly Sohr have teamed up with hospitality operators Max and Benjamin Goldberg of Strategic Hospitality to launch Carousel Club, a luxury private membership club designed specifically for families that is scheduled to open its flagship Nashville location in early 2028. Strategic Hospitality—the restaurant and bar group behind Nashville staples The Patterson House, Catbird Seat, Bastion, and Locust—previously partnered with Andrew Sohr on a separate venture to reopen the classic Nashville restaurant Dalts.

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire Debuts Rhinomite on 40-Week Arena Circuit

Meanwhile, family arena production Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire staged 3 weekend performances on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, 2026 at Simmons Bank Arena at 1 Simmons Bank Arena Drive along the Arkansas River in Little Rock and North Little Rock. With Saturday shows at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 1:30 p.m.—each preceded by a 1-hour-and-15-minute Pre-Show Party starting 2.5 hours before showtime—the 2026 roster introduced the all-new dynamite rhino-themed truck Rhinomite alongside Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, HW 5-Alarm, Bone Shaker, Bigfoot, and Skelesaurus.

Skelesaurus driver Devan Wheeler told THV11 that drivers and crew spend roughly 40 weeks a year on the road staging 4 truck competitions and freestyle motocross at each stop, updating the arena lineup since its October 2024 Little Rock visit, with individual tickets required for children ages 2 and older.