New Year's Eve will contain plenty of NOLA flavor as Big Freedia will host the New Orleans segment of the annual NYE telecast.

Big Freedia, a.k.a. The Queen Diva, a.k.a. the Queen of Bounce will serve as host of the central time zone portion of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021." Freedia will be joined by fellow New Orleans native and R&B singer/songwriter/keyboardist PJ Morton of Maroon 5, who will single "Auld Lang Syne" as the fleur de lis drops at midnight in New Orleans, home of this year's Central Time Zone countdown.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell says that these two artists really embody the culture of New Orleans and is "beyond excited" to have them representing the city while the world is watching.

We are beyond excited that Big Freedia and PJ Morton, two of New Orleans' brightest musical lights, will be shining for our city and before the entire world as we ring in the new year. Even though we won't be watching this performance in person, we will be watching from the safety of our homes as 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021' rings in the new year with that special New Orleans flavor.

Cantrell went on to say that in addition to Freedia and Morton hosting and performing, she was also happy that approximately 70 local crew members will be employed for the event, "many of whom have been shut out of production jobs due to the pandemic."

We're also excited that this event will employ nearly 70 local crew members, many of whom have been shut out of production jobs due to the pandemic, and that the world will remember that New Orleans will be the safest place to visit and enjoy our music and culture in 2021.

Not only is Big Freedia known for putting the infectious rhythms and dance stylings of New Orleans bounce music on a global stage with her electrifying beats and memorable performances, but also for her reality show 'Queen Of Bounce' on FUSE TV.

This news comes as somewhat of a bookend to recent drama between state officials and the New Orleans mayor's office all stemming from an unpermitted worship concert/protest that featured Lafayette native Lauren Daigle. If you wanna dig into it, you can check out the timeline here via NOLA.com

But for now, we look ahead to the 49th year of Dick Clark's iconic 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' program to ring in 2021. The main program will take place in New York City and will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest with numerous cutaways to other different cities and time zones. There will be no live audiences at any of the aforementioned locations due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Click here to see the full lineup of hosts, performers, and more details on the big NYE telecast event.

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