On New Year’s Eve, a fleur-de-lis is traditionally dropped at midnight in New Orleans’ Jackson Square.
The fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily and a long-standing symbol of New Orleans, reflecting the city’s French heritage. Jackson Square, a historic public space in the French Quarter, is the setting for the city’s annual New Year’s Eve countdown and related celebrations.
The midnight drop is part of a larger public event that has included music, crowds, and fireworks over the Mississippi River. The symbol connects the modern celebration with New Orleans’ distinctive visual identity rather than copying the Times Square Ball.
The fleur-de-lis is also associated with Louisiana more broadly and appears in local flags, sports branding, architecture, and decorative designs. It should not be confused with the Mardi Gras king cake tradition, another New Orleans custom that belongs to Carnival season.