The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is a singular celebration of historical and contemporary significance. Every year, the event takes place over two weekends, always on the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May. It covers full days of performances on a dozen stages strategically organized around the Fair Grounds racing circuit, and brings with it its dozens of nightly performances at New Orleans music venues. The festival draws nearly half a million attendees to the festival site, where they can listen to all genres of music, from jazz/gospel to R&B and rock.
The festival was first held in Congo Square in 1970, and was created to be an important event that would have great cultural significance and popular appeal. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization, was created to oversee the Festival. From 1976 to 1978, the JazzFest was extended to two full Heritage Fair weekends, and in 1979, for the tenth anniversary, the Festival scheduled three weekends. In 2004, AEG Live joined forces with JazzFest, opening the doors for even more international stars to perform at the Festival.
The New York Times points out that the Jazzfest “has become inseparable from the culture it presents”. Mahalia Jackson, often called the best gospel singer, returned to her hometown to perform at the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He also pointed out, with great foresight, “New Orleans, in the long run, should become bigger than Newport at jazz-festivals”. Over the years, JazzFest has received many honors, including being named Festival of the Year four times by Pollstar magazine.
Now that you know a little more about what JazzFest is and its incredible impact on the city, you may be wondering how to book and navigate a once-in-a-lifetime Jazz-Fest experience. Tickets for the JazzFest are available for purchase on the JazzFest site a few months before the event or at the gates of any day of the festival. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is firmly established as a singular celebration of historical and contemporary importance. It welcomes people of all levels to come and enjoy its food, music and culture.
It is one of the most important cultural celebrations in the world and an annual spring event that lasts 10 days with thousands of musicians playing on 12 stages and attracting nearly 500,000 culture fans from around the world.
