Forty years after its first modest four-day event in Congo Square, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell has grown into a mega-event stretching out seven days over two weekends and bringing to its 12 stages hundreds of performers at the historic Fair Grounds Race Course.
Begun in 1970 to commemorate the great heritage of jazz in New Orleans, JazzFest has expanded into nearly all genres of popular music. Besides traditional (Dixieland) styles, JazzFest now features blues, gospel, soul/R&B, international music (especially African and Caribbean), funk, country/western, hip hop, Cajun/zydeco, folk and just plain good ol’ rock and roll. In short, there is something for everyone with any sort of musical taste and preference. A great mix of local performers and internationally renowned “big names.”
And, in addition to the music, there is also an abundance of culture and food scattered widely around the festival site. Artwork, works of craftsmanship, collectable posters, books, CDs, DVDs and much more are offered for sale, along with some of the most fabulous food you’ll find anywhere in the world.
Be sure to visit www.nojazzfest.com to create and print out your customized music schedule with the interactive performance grids!
