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[CrunchyFrog]

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The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is a yearly music festival that takes places over 2 weekends in late Spring, this year April 22-24 and April 28-May 1. It started out as you might expect primarily focused on jazz acts, mostly local and national, and, while the organizers have taken care to continue to include those performers, over the past several years the festival has begun to attract a lot of big name artists from a variety of genres to rival a lot of the other great music festivals in the US. Past headliners include Elton John, Ed Sheeran, The Who, Jimmy Buffett, Chicago, T.I., Foster the People, Pitbull, Keith Urban, Springsteen, Phish, Lyle Lovett, Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend (and that's just the past two years). Naturally, all of this is accompanied with the usual New Orleans accoutrements, our world-famous food, art exhibits and workshops, and just the usual cast of characters you meet in this city. Even if you mainly come for the big name acts do take some time to tour some of the smaller stuff, you'll surprise yourself with what you find. Also a word to the wise: the festival takes place on a horse racing track with lots of mud, so bring shoes and a pair of pants that you don't mind getting possibly absolutely wrecked after a day or two.

Ticket Info
Tickets for general admission are on sale now for $60 through February 2nd, afterwards they'll increment up to the gate price of $75 as it gets closer to the festival date.General admission will get you access to any and every concert on the grounds that day, though they do offer VIP passes for the more adventurous.

Big name highlights for 2016 include:

• Stevie Wonder
• Pearl Jam
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Neil Young
• Trombone Shorty
• Promise of Real
• Snoop Dogg
• Paul Simon
• Steely Dan
• Beck
• Van Morrison
• Nick *retch* Jonas
• Julio Iglesias
• J.Cole
• Elvis Costello
• Bonnie Raitt
• Flo Rida
• Irma Thomas
• Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter
• Dr. John
• Boz Scaggs
• Michael McDonald
• Isley Brothers
• Aaron Neville
• ... and plenty more where that came from

I've personally already bought a ticket for Stevie Wonder myself on April 30 (was even just saying the other day with all these musicians croaking as of late that I needed to get him done soon, thankful I saw Elton John last year too as I feel depressingly like he's next). Wouldn't mind catching RHCP, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, and Dr. John too, but they're of course all on separate days.

 

[Wag]

I wish it was more focused on Jazz, but I guess if I wanted that I'd go to the Newport Jazz festival.

A few good classic R&B artists in that list tho.

 

[Van]

I just moved to NOLA, should i go to this?

 

[HylianTom]

I just moved to NOLA, should i go to this?

I'd say go to experience it at least once. This year's lineup is pretty damn good. After that, you'll know whether you want to go in the future. Many I know won't go unless there's a certain performer whom they just can't resist.

(And I echo the sentiment on Jazz.)

 

[NH Apache]

About the "lack of jazz" issue:

The festival is basically divided into multiple stages and tents. You can't see more than one band at the same time, generally. At any time, there is really good jazz going on in the main Jazz tent and/or somewhere else.

You could go to the festival every day and see nothing but jazz, if you wanted to. I've never really understood the argument.

Lineup is really really good. WATS is right around the corner as well and seems to have some good artists being confirmed.

Announcement video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmMjAf2LVz8

 

[Wag]

About the "lack of jazz" issue:

The festival is basically divided into multiple stages and tents. You can't see more than one band at the same time, generally. At any time, there is really good jazz going on in the main Jazz tent and/or somewhere else.

You could go to the festival every day and see nothing but jazz, if you wanted to. I've never really understood the argument.

Lineup is really really good. WATS is right around the corner as well and seems to have some good artists being confirmed.

Announcement video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmMjAf2LVz8

Yeah, but if Stevie Wonder is playing on one stage and some lesser known jazz artist on another, who're you going to see?

 

[Violence Jack]

Damn that's a pretty good lineup from an old school R&B and alternative rock standpoint. I've been wanting to see Stevie Wonder, RHCP, and Beck for years.

 

[Dead Prince]

is that THE nick jonas aka my baby boo?

 

[ratcliffja]

That's an amazing lineup for my taste. It absolutely blows away Coachella this year.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

About the "lack of jazz" issue:

The festival is basically divided into multiple stages and tents. You can't see more than one band at the same time, generally. At any time, there is really good jazz going on in the main Jazz tent and/or somewhere else.

You could go to the festival every day and see nothing but jazz, if you wanted to. I've never really understood the argument.

Lineup is really really good. WATS is right around the corner as well and seems to have some good artists being confirmed.

Announcement video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmMjAf2LVz8

I wholeheartedly agree. The big headliners are usually spread out and mostly in the evening, so you have plenty of time to see the multitudes of still existing jazz artists all over the place. The big names sure bring in the crowds, but the jazz that have the festival its name is definitely still there if you wanna go see. I've actually enjoyed some of those just as much as the big guys in years past, half the fun is walking around and sniffing for the stuff you've never heard before.

I just moved to NOLA, should i go to this?

Definitely. also check out voodoo fest and Gretna fest in the fall, the latter of which has also gotten leaps and bounds bigger in the last few years.

 

[NH Apache]

Yeah, but if Stevie Wonder is playing on one stage and some lesser known jazz artist on another, who're you going to see?

That's a decision you have to make; my argument is that if you want jazz, it's always playing in the Jazz tent.

I wholeheartedly agree. The big headliners are usually spread out and mostly in the evening, so you have plenty of time to see the multitudes of still existing jazz artists all over the place. The big names sure bring in the crowds, but the jazz that have the festival its name is definitely still there if you wanna go see. I've actually enjoyed some of those just as much as the big guys in years past, half the fun is walking around and sniffing for the stuff you've never heard before.

Absolutely. For the price, it's the best ticket around.

 

[pantsmith]

I wish it was more focused on Jazz, but I guess if I wanted that I'd go to the Newport Jazz festival.

A few good classic R&B artists in that list tho.

Went two years ago, and believe me there is plenty of jazz everywhere. Can't miss it.

Main stages are just to draw crowds and make money.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

That's a decision you have to make; my argument is that if you want jazz, it's always playing in the Jazz tent.



Absolutely. For the price, it's the best ticket around.

And not even just the jazz tent, there's like 10 different stages and literally more than half of them are playing some type of jazz or new Orleans cultural music of some kind at any one point in time. The festival runs for 9 hours each day, that's plenty of time for other acts. You've also got the street brass bands like Dirty Dozen, Rebirth, Lagniappe, etc. second-lining around.