Updated

The king and queen of Spain are in New Orleans to help celebrate the city's 300th anniversary.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived Thursday night in Louisiana, which was a Spanish colony from 1763 to 1802.

Their schedule includes a private meeting with Gov. John Bel Edwards before a welcoming ceremony led by Mayor LaToya Cantrell at Gallier Hall , a 165-year-old former City Hall now renovated for the tricentennial.

St. Louis Cathedral and the Cabildo , Spain's governmental seat in Louisiana, also are on Friday's itinerary. Both were built after fire destroyed three-quarters of the city in 1788.

On Saturday, jazz musicians and Mardi Gras Indians will perform for Felipe and Letizia. Then the royal couple leaves for San Antonio, Texas — another former Spanish colony celebrating its tricentennial.