Current time in New Orleans, United States
The current local time in New Orleans is shown below. New Orleans observes CST in winter and CDT during daylight saving time.
Daylight saving time
Sunrise & sunset today
Timezone facts
New Orleans in context
New Orleans sits in a bowl below sea level on the lower Mississippi delta in southeastern Louisiana, between the river and Lake Pontchartrain to the north. The city proper holds around 380,000 residents, with the wider metropolitan area extending to 1.3 million. Much of the urban land sits between three and four metres below the surrounding water levels, with the protective levee and pump system that defines the city's geography.
Timezone history of New Orleans
New Orleans uses Central Time and observes federal daylight saving rules. The city's longitude puts it near the middle of the Central zone, with solar noon arriving around 12:30 local time year-round in standard time. The Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi River are operationally important: shipping and offshore oil-and-gas schedules coordinate routinely across Central, Eastern, and the satellite-controlled offshore platforms that follow their own clocks.
Working hours in New Orleans
Working hours in New Orleans typically run 09:00 to 17:00, with the city's substantial hospitality and tourism industry layering shifted hours on top: bars and restaurants in the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street routinely operate well past 02:00. The Mardi Gras season, running roughly from mid-January through Fat Tuesday in February or early March, produces extended business closures in the days surrounding the major parade weekends.