Big Freedia to Open Hotel & Entertainment Venue in New Orleans: “This Dream of Mine Has Been in the Works for a Long Time”

Big Freedia is steps closer to making a dream come true. The New Orleans rapper plans to open a new entertainment venue in New Orleans.

“This dream of mine has been in the works for a long time,” Freedia tweeted. “I’ll be one of the first Black hotel owners in New Orleans and will keep y’all posted on the official opening date, can’t wait to see y’all at Hotel Freedia.”

Freedia came up with the idea during the pandemic. “Not being able to go out and work during the pandemic, cooking brought so much light and creativity. It just really got me interested in doing a restaurant,” Freedia said. “And I always had a dream of opening a hotel, so it just kind of came together that way.”

This dream of mine has been in the works for a long time, I’ll be one of the first black hotel owners in New Orleans 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 will keep y’all posted on the official opening date, can’t wait to see y’all at Hotel Freedia ❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/TofAi0rXHT

— Big Freedia 💋 (@bigfreedia) February 1, 2023

The new center will be located near Decatur and Frenchmen streets and will feature a restaurant, music club, and five-room hotel, Nola reported.

The owner of the building, Zach Kupperman, and several other local investors are working with Big Freedia to make the $5 million redevelopment happen.

The center is scheduled to open by 2024, and although it will be a micro boutique hotel, the primary function is to serve as a music club and bar with food. There will also be an outdoor pool-party space.

“The hotel is not the economic driver of it,” Reid Martin, Freedia’s manager and a partner in the project, told Nola. “It’s primarily a music venue and a pool party spot. Think of a country club with a music venue.”

Music artists, including Freedia, will be able to perform at the venue.

“Obviously, Frenchmen Street is all about local music, so we want to have a lot of local music going on, but we’re also interested in having some national music coming in,” Martin added.