40th annual Crescent City Classic: Route, street closures, and more

This weekend, New Orleans will host the 40th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Crescent City Classic 10k, which ranks among the longest-running 10k races in the United States. The race takes place on Saturday, March 31, at 8 a.m.

About Saturday’s race

The Easter Weekend tradition, which started in 1979, is a regional race that caters to both professional and amateur runners. The first Classic event had 902 registered runners. Organizers for the upcoming 40th annual Crescent City Classic expect over 25,000 runners in attendance. The 6.2-mile course runs though the Central Business District, French Quarter, 7th Ward, Esplanade Ridge and City Park neighborhoods.

At the end of the race, the Classic will hold its Michelob Ultra RaceFest at City Park. The post-race festival will have live music, food, and drinks. Admission to the festival is free for participating runners and children under the age of 12. For non-running adults, admission is $20 on the day of the race.

The Route

At 8 a.m., the race begins near the Mercedes-Benz Superdome at the intersection of Poydras Street and Loyola Avenue. River bound, runners will turn left on Convention Center Boulevard and make another left onto Canal Street. Runners will then make a right on North Peters Street, continuing along Decatur Street. At the intersection of Decatur Street and Esplanade Avenue, the runners will turn left, heading northbound on Esplanade Avenue. At the Esplanade and North Carrollton avenues, runners will make a left on North Carrollton Avenue and a right on City Park Avenue. The runners will enter City Park on Anseman Avenue.

In City Park, runners will continue on Victory Lane, turn right on Turner Lane. They will make another right on Dreyfous Avenue and left on Lelong Drive. The finish line is marked in front of the New Orleans Museum of Arts.

Street Closures

Starting at 11 p.m. on Friday, March 30, NOPD will close Poydras Street from South Claiborne Avenue to Loyola Avenue. You can also expect street closures along North Peters Street, Decatur Street, Esplanade Avenue. To see a complete list of detours on the race day, visit NORTA’s official website. Street closures and detours are expected to be lifted after 12 p.m.

How to get there

If you’re not driving to the race course, you can take the Canal Streetcar exit at Canal Street and Elk Place, which is three blocks from the start of the race.

If you take a Blue Bikes, there are two hubs within a block of the Classic’s starting point.