Candlelight Lounge

There is a bit of recency bias involved in dividing the lives of so many New Orleans dive bars into pre-Hurricane Katrina and post-Hurricane Katrina categorizations in a city that has seen its share of adversity and change well before Katrina landed. But Katrina brought immense change to the bar culture in New Orleans, Candlelight Lounge no exception after the hurricane decimated what was a vibrant live music scene in the city’s Treme neighborhood.

Candlelight Lounge was at that time the last live music barroom standing in the aftermath of the storm, a function of the community pulling together to give residents and visitors new reasons to visit a very old building. Prior to life as Candlelight Lounge, the space was known as The Grease Lounge, a home to blues, R&B and brass band musicians. Leona “Ms. Chine” Grandison opened Candlelight Lounge in 1985 with her brother, Landry. At one time, Candlelight Lounge hosted practices for the White Cloud Hunters, a traditional Mardi Gras Indian tribe still active in the city.

When business dipped post-Katrina, a number of local musicians stepped in to play Leona’s Candlelight Lounge on a regular basis to keep music alive in Treme. Benny Jones and his Treme Brass Band as well as trombonist Corey Henry committed to playing weekly at Candlelight Lounge, generating the business that allowed Leona to keep the doors open.

Leona passed away in April of 2020 due to COVID-19 and left the business to daughter LeCole Alexander, who operates the New Orleans dive bar today. Upon a first visit to Candlelight Lounge, the role the bar plays in the community is clear, locals and families congregated here to spend time together in what is still a largely untouched piece of New Orleans. The bar sits just off of Tuba Fats Square, a small park, and not far from both Treme Coffeehouse and Backstreet Cultural Museum, creating a small, natural collection point for the neighborhood that surrounds Candlelight Lounge.

Once painted yellow, today Candlelight Lounge bears a building-spanning purple mural depicting both Chine and a member of the Treme Brass Band. The live event schedule here fluctuates frequently, so it is worth checking a social media profile or two to see what’s going on during a given week. Food is often part of the general cadence of events here, the bar’s Monday seafood night still active, a deal that involves a free seafood plate with a two drink minimum.

Inside, the space is very straightforward with a handful of low folding tables mixed with a small bar and ample space to clear out the tables for music, dancing or weekend crowds. Be sure to look for the worn, vintage Candlelight Lounge mural on the bar’s interior floor. Just as everything in New Orleans, change here is constant, but consistent is the bar’s vital role in bringing the Treme community together, a role that covers both Candlelight Lounge’s historic context and active present.