The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, also known as Jazz Fest, is an annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana. The “Jazz Fest” also refers to the days surrounding the festival and the many shows at unaffiliated New Orleans nightclubs scheduled during the festival weekends.
The festival is a major tourist destination with economic importance for New Orleans rivaled only by Mardi Gras; the event brings to the city $300 million annually. Early Jazz Fests featured almost exclusively local acts. As the event’s popularity grew, the festival expanded to include nationally known acts
Jazz And Heritage Festival – Overview
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a/k/a Jazz Fest, is a 10-day cultural feast in which thousands of musicians, cooks and craftspeople welcome 400,000 visitors each year. The Louisiana Heritage Fair showcases unforgettable music on multiple stages, delicious Louisiana cuisine in two large food areas, and crafts artisans from the region and around the world demonstrating and selling their work.
The Louisiana Heritage Fair is held at the Fair Grounds Race Course over the course of 2 weekends. They are April 25, 26, 27, 28 & May 2, 3, 4 & 5, 2019.
Timeline for Jazz And Heritage Festival
Jazz Fest is held annually on the last weekend of April (Friday–Sunday) and the first weekend of May (Thursday–Sunday) between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Fair Grounds Race Course, a horse racing track in the middle of New Orleans.
Is Jazz the only music featured at the Jazz Festival?
The Festival celebrates the indigenous music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana, so the music encompasses every style associated with the city and the state: blues, R&B, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, Afro-Caribbean, folk, Latin, rock, rap, country, bluegrass and everything in between. And of course there is lots of jazz, both contemporary and traditional.
History of Jazz And Heritage Festival
The Festival has been held annually since 1970 when it was founded by the New Orleans Hotel Motel Association to form “the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation” that owns the Festival. George Wein‘s Festival Productions was contracted to produce the Festival. Wein produced the Newport Jazz Festival (1954) and the Newport Folk Festival (1959) in Newport, Rhode Island.
When is the performance schedule released?
The complete list of musicians performing at the Jazz & Heritage Festival will be announced around the end of December or early January. A more complete schedule in grid form, known as “the cubes,” is available closer to the Festival, usually around the first week of April. This website will be one of the first places to view the entire schedule.
How can I purchase tickets?
Tickets will be available at http://www.nojazzfest.com and www.ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling (800) 745-3000. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Jazz Fest ticket office located at the New Orleans Arena Box Office. All Jazz Fest tickets are subject to additional service fees and handling charges.
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL APP
Click here for Android
Click Here for iOS
The Jazz Fest App is your official electronic guide to the festival! Organize and expand your festival experience in one handy app. Create your schedule, read about the bands and food, browse media and find your way around using the map.