ORLÉANS, France – After nearly 300 years, New Orleans will officially become a sister city of its namesake: Orléans, France. Mayor Landrieu, along with his Orléans counterpart, Olivier Carré, made the announcement Tuesday as part of his trip through France.
It's official- Orléans and New Orleans will become sister cities in 2018! https://t.co/dc7vOBjwci #nola300 @larep_fr @MayorLandrieu @OrleansMetropol #FranceLouisiana pic.twitter.com/s6YhmiPu8n
— FranceLouisiana (@FranceLouisiana) November 28, 2017
The designation will be made official next month in January as part of New Orleans tri-centennial celebration, possibly on January 6, the birthdate of Joan of Arc, the heroine of Orléans during the Hundred Years War between France and England.
The partnership hopes to focus on three themes: entrepreneurship, water management, and culture.
@olivier_carre et @MayorLandrieu create officially a twinning relationship between #nola and @OrleansMetropol ✌🏽 pic.twitter.com/nph9QHFEPw
— Béatrice Odunlami (@BeaOdunlami) November 28, 2017
On the last part, Mayor Carré hopes to cultivate a more festive atmosphere in his city: “The culture must be alive. A festival isn’t only for three days, it lasts all year.”
New Orleans already has several sister cities, including:
- Caracas, Venezeula
- Durban, South Africa
- Innsbruck, Austria
- Juan-les-Pins, France
- Maracaibo, Venezueal
- Matsue, Japan
- Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
- Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo
- San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Tegucigalpa, Hunduras
- Isola del Liri, Italy
New Orleans will celebrate its tri-centennial in 2018 with several and events around the city throughout the year. The official date of the 300th birthday will be May 7, 2018.
