(Tentative) Schedule: 2026 AFL Annual Meeting
June 11 @ 5:30 pm - June 14 @ 10:30 am
2026 AFL ANNUAL MEETING
– June 11th thru 14th –
(Optional pre-meeting event on June 10th)
PLEASE NOTE: At this point the Meeting Schedule and events are tentative. We are working on adding events and activities, along with more details as to what will be taking place at each of our events, such as speakers, entertainment, special guests, etc. So, please check back regularly for revisions and updates!
Wednesday, June 10th (Optional pre-meeting event):
Evening Dinner & Jazz Cruise on the paddlewheel Steamboat Natchez cruising the Mississippi River and the New Orleans skyline. This is an opportunity for those coming into New Orleans early to get together.
Thursday, June 11th
Evening: Annual Meeting Kick-off event at the National World War II Museum / Hollywood Stagedoor Canteen with a 16-piece big-band swing orchestra.
Post-Dinner event: Back at the hotel either in their new Royal Lounge or their rooftop La Riviera poolside bar (with a great view of the New Orleans skyline) we will gather for some wonderful comradery and fun, like Lafayette Trivia and more!
Friday, June 12th
Morning: Chalmette National Battlefield. Tour of the national battlefield park where Lafayette arrived in Louisiana in April 1825 on his Guest of the Nation tour and just ten years earlier was the site of the Battle of New Orleans, where General Andrew Jackson led a small army of regulars and civilians (along with a few pirates) and defeated a considerably larger British army in what many war historians call the most lopsided upset in military history, and the final battle of the War of 1812, securing American independence once and for all. At our Bicentennial event last April at the battlefield, we did not actually get to spend much time and see up close the battlefield, visitor’s center and Beauregard house where Lafayette was received. This time we will!
Lunch: Historic Docville Farm in Meraux, Louisiana. During our lunch we will have a great speaker. Lafayette historian Dr. Iris de Rode, who was prominently featured in Ken Burns’ documentary “The American Revolution,” will present to us. Also, from its fifth floor observation deck, you will have a fabulous view of the Mississippi River and you will be shown the location where Lafayette on the steamboat Natchez moored his first night in Louisiana on the evening of April 9, 1825 before heading up river the next day to be welcomed at the Chalmette Battlefield on April 10th.
Afternoon (Optional): The Cabildo (Louisiana State Museum), tour of “Bienvenue Lafayette” exhibit about our favorite French general and the new exhibit on Bernardo de Gálvez, Spain’s governor of Louisiana who significantly helped the American cause. Or, you can use this time to enjoy the French Quarter and New Orleans on your own!
Evening: “The Lafayette Banquet & Ball: America 250” in the Grande Ballroom at the Omni Royal Orleans hotel. This is the official dinner and banquet of the AFL’s Annual Meeting. Entertainment will include chamber music & dancing by the Louisiana Vintage Dancers, special guest speakers and MORE! SPECIAL: We’ve been told the Emperor Napoleon himself will be joining us and will talk of his personal relationship with Lafayette. More details to be announced!
Post-Dinner event: A social at The Napoleon House, with Napoleon and guests, directly across the street from our hotel. DID YOU KNOW there was a plot to rescue Napoleon from his imprisoned exile on the Island of St. Helena and bring him to New Orleans to live at the residence specifically built for him – the Napoleon House? The plan was that of former New Orleans mayor Nicholas Girod and the infamous pirate, Jean Lafitte. Unfortunately, Napoleon died only weeks before they were ready to set sail. We will talk all about it! If not occupied by a guest, we might even get to see the living quarters that were made specifically for Napoleon.
Saturday, June 13th
Morning: Annual Business Meeting of the AFL at the Historic New Orleans Collection in the French Quarter (which serves as a historical archive of the city of New Orleans).
Lunch: Brought in box lunch at the Historic New Orleans Collection with presentation by the HNOC’s curator of its new exhibit “The American Revolution.”
Afternoon: Exclusive tour of the HNOC’s new exhibit “The American Revolution.”
Evening: Dinner at world famous Antoine’s Restaurant, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the U.S. (since 1840); presentations by General Lafayette and special guests.
Sunday, June 14th
Morning: At 9:00 a.m., “Farewell Breakfast” at The Court of The Two Sisters on Royal Street near our hotel, featuring a jazz quartet. NOTE: the breakfast should easily end by 10:30 a.m. which should provide ample time for anyone who needs to catch a flight 12:30 p.m. or later. But, if you’re not in a hurry, then feel free to remain at The Court of the Two Sisters for as long as you like to enjoy the atmosphere and the live jazz music.
Come to New Orleans in June and “Laissez les bons temps roule” (Let the good times roll!)
Merci beaucoup and au revoir for now!