New Orleans plans Walk of Fame on Canal Street | Entertainment/Life

Percy “Master P” Miller, named New Orleans' official entertainment ambassador by Mayor LaToya Cantrell in August, is leading a project that aims to create a Hollywood-style trail along lower Canal Street with plaques honoring the best of the City pays homage to artists, entrepreneurs and philanthropists.

The first 50 plaques honoring famous New Orleanians ranging from Fats Domino and Ellen Degeneres to Tom Benson and Leah Chase are expected to be installed by February 6, 2025, in time for Super Bowl LIX, which begins at 8 p.m. three days ago later at Caesars Superdome.

“It’s time to celebrate our culture and the people of New Orleans who have made a difference and given so much to the world,” Miller said via text message.

Read more: Here are the 50 New Orleans residents honored on the Canal Street Walk of Fame.

A press release from City Hall said Friday that the city would work with the 54-year-old rapper and music manager on the project.

“As we continue preparations to host Super Bowl LIX, it is critically important that we honor and recognize the diverse group of remarkable individuals who make up the beautiful fabric of our city,” Cantrell said in a prepared statement.

An inaugural plaque designed by local artist Brandan “BMIKE” Odums will be placed on the sidewalk in front of the Saks Fifth Avenue department store on Canal Place, near the Mississippi end of Canal Street, sometime before Christmas.

The logistics of the project, including fundraising, will be handled by Operation Restoration, a nonprofit organization led by Syrita Steib, in collaboration with Miller.

The goal is to initially raise about $6.5 million, a quarter of which has already been raised through donors and grants, Steib said.

The first wave of plaques includes Cantrell and Miller, as well as former mayors like Moon Landrieu and Ernest “Dutch” Morial and contemporary rapper Mia X. There will be markers for Archie, Eli and Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees (not born in New Orleans, though provided with a passport).

Steib said the city's initial permit allows them to place memorial plaques on the sidewalk of Canal Street along a three-quarters-mile stretch from Saks to South Rampart Street. The plan is to have an information kiosk near the first board and QR codes on the individualized boards to provide background information about the people.

“Percy decided to go a step further because he wants to introduce future generations to people who will be enshrined on the Walk of Fame by incorporating it into the city’s school curricula,” Steib said. They have started talking to public school officials about how this would work, she said.

The longer-term goal is to build a dedicated museum nearby that will give visitors a deeper insight into the history of New Orleans' most famous citizens. This would include interactive displays and multimedia presentations on individuals and topics such as the development of jazz in the city, Steib said.

Hollywood style

Irma Thomas, Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty are among the first musicians to be honored. Entrepreneurs and philanthropists receiving a plaque include Al Copeland, Sidney D. Torres and John Georges, who along with his wife Dathel The Times-Picayune | owns The Lawyer of New Orleans.

The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce is also a partner in the project and Steib said they plan to follow the Hollywood model to fund future installations and maintenance.

In Los Angeles, the Hollywood Chamber collects fees from celebrities or sponsors to fund the installation and maintenance of a Walk of Fame star. According to the Hollywood Chamber, the initial installation of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame currently costs $75,000.