Frequently Asked Questions.
Whatever you're wondering about the
Jazz Festival, you can find the answer here. Lots of people have the same
questions. That's why we've compiled this list of FAQs (Frequently Asked
Questions), in the hopes that we can provide you with answers.
What
is Jazz Fest?
When and where is it held?
Is jazz the only music featured
at the Jazz Festival?
When is the performance schedule
released?
When do tickets go on sale?
How can I purchase tickets?
How much do tickets cost?
How do I get to the Fair Grounds?
What
can you bring to the Fest?
Festival policies & important information.
Do you help Festival-goers in booking hotel rooms?
Do you advise making a hotel
reservation in advance?
Is the Festival accessible
to people with disabilities?
Any tips on preparation for
a day at Jazz Fest?
Are there ATMs available if
I run low on cash?
What will be available in
the food areas?
What about vegetarian items?
I can only attend one weekend.
Which do you recommend?
Are old Jazz Fest posters
worth anything?
Who do I contact about working
/ volunteering at Jazz Fest?
How can I apply to perform
at Jazz Fest?
How can I apply for a crafts
booth?
How can I apply for a food
booth?
How can I apply for press
credentials?
How can my company become a
Sponsor?
What
is Jazz Fest?
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 27, 28, 29 & May 3, 4, 5 & 6, 2012.
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When
and where is it held?
April 27, 28, 29 & May 3, 4, 5 & 6, 2012. The Heritage Fair takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course, centrally located
at 1751 Gentilly Boulevard, 10 minutes from the French Quarter. Hours are 11
a.m. to 7 p.m.
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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.
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When
is the performance schedule released?
The complete list of musicians performing at the Jazz
& Heritage Festival will be announced around December. 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.
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When
do tickets go on sale?
Tickets go on sale after the talent has been announced. Visit our Tickets
Page for more information.
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How
can I purchase tickets?
Tickets will be available at 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.
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How
much do tickets cost?
2012 Jazz Fest Ticket information will be released in conjunction with the 2012 talent announcement.
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How
do I get to the Fair Grounds?
The Fair Grounds Race Course is located in a residential part of the city; parking
in the surrounding neighborhoods is not recommended.
Gray Line Tours will operate continuous round-trip transportation – the Jazz Fest Express - from the Sheraton Hotel, the Gray Line Lighthouse at the Steamboat Natchez Dock (Toulouse St. at the River – next to Jax Brewery), and City Park (next to Marconi Meadows) daily from 10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
A special entrance will be used only by Jazz Fest Express vehicles to avoid traffic and bring Festival-goers inside the gates of the Festival. Add $17 ($14 City Park) to the price of a Festival admission ticket for this round-trip transportation service. Admission and Jazz Fest Express tickets are available for sale on the days of the Festival from these locations or in advance through TicketMaster. A one way ticket from the Festival to downtown will be available for $10.
For more information, call 504-569-1401 or 1-800-535-7786.
http://www.graylineneworleans.com/jazzfest.html
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What
can you bring to the Fest?
Click here for a pdf of the list of prohibitions
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Do
you help Festivalgoers in booking
hotel rooms?
The Festival has secured some special Jazz Fest Hotel rates which can be found
here:
• The Festival's official host hotel is the Sheraton New Orleans. For reservations
call 504-595-5500 or 800-253-6156.
• A useful travel resource is the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors
Bureau.
Contact the NOMCVB at 800-672-6124 or 504-566-5003. Website: www.neworleanscvb.com.
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Do
you advise making a hotel reservation in advance?
The Festival is very popular and there is a high demand for hotel rooms, so we
advise making reservations as soon as possible. Some hotels take reservations
as early as a year in advance, and many Fest-goers book their rooms in the fall
preceding the Festival. Please be aware, however, that it is never too late to
make a hotel reservation. Rooms become available off and on as reservations are
released leading up to the event. A hotel may have no rooms available on March
30, but may have 10 rooms available April 15. Just keep checking. For a list
of hotels visit our hotel page here
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Is
the Festival accessible to people with
disabilities?
For information about Festival attendance by people with disabilities. please
either call (504) 410-6104, e-mail access@nojazzfest.com,
or fax (504) 558-6121 For more information, please visit our ADA
page.
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Any
tips on preparation
for a day at Jazz
Fest - what to
wear, things like
that?
The springtime weather in New Orleans can range from pleasantly warm to uncomfortably
hot, so you'll want to dress in cool, unrestrictive clothing. Lightweight cotton
is never a bad idea. There are a few shady trees scattered here and there throughout
the Fair Grounds, but the infield is, for the most part, wide open to the sun.
Therefore, most people consider sunglasses to be essential, not to mention sunscreen
or sunblock. A hat with a wide brim or visor is also a good idea. Wear comfortable
shoes, as you may be doing a lot of walking. You'll want to keep hydrated, too:
there are beverages available throughout the Heritage Fair, and cold drinking
water can be found in the Grandstand, which is also a good source of shade and
air conditioning, not to mention many of the Festival's hidden treasures. Also,
several stages on the infield and in Heritage Square are under tents that offer
relief from the sun.
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Are
there ATMs available if I run low on cash?
Yes, there are ATMs onsite. For exact locations, please refer to the map.
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I
hear they eat only crawfish and alligator in Louisiana. Is that all that will
be available in the food areas?
While those delicacies are available in various forms (and they're delicious),
the food areas offer a wide range of items, from the familiar to the exotic:
truly something for everyone. You won't go hungry. To get a better sense of what
the Festival has to offer to satisfy your appetite, please see our food
pages.
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What
about vegetarian items?
There are always a number of tasty vegan/vegetarian-friendly items on the menu
as well.
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I
can only attend for one weekend. Which do you recommend?
You really can't go wrong with either. Great care is taken to distribute the
music evenly over both weekends.
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I
have
an
old
Jazz
Fest
poster
and
I hear
it
may
be
worth
something.
How
can
I find
out?
The Festival's limited-edition posters are produced by Art4Now. Their website, http://www.art4now.com,
includes information about the values of vintage posters.
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I'd
like
to
work
and/or
volunteer
for
Jazz
Fest.
Who
do
I
contact?
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Attn: Human Resources/Volunteers
336 Camp Street ste 250
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-410-4100
Jazz Fest Job Line: 504-410-6136
Click here for more information about becoming
a volunteer for Jazz Fest.
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How
can I apply to perform at the Jazz & Heritage
Festival?
The deadline for submitting press kits to perform at the 2012 Festival is October 1, 2011.
The Festival respectfully
limits applicants to bands living and working in
Louisiana. The mission of the Festival is to preserve, perpetuate, and promote
the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana.
To apply Online, CLICK HERE
To apply by mail:
New
Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell
Attn: Music Production
336 Camp Street, Suite 250
New Orleans, LA 70130
Be sure to include a recording,
bio, photo, press clippings and contact
information. All bands that are chosen for the 2012 Jazz Fest will be contacted after the October 1st deadline.
Once all bands are selected and booked, the festival will send email notification to all groups that were not selected for 2012. If you would like to receive this status notification, you must include a valid email address with this application.
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How
can I apply for a crafts booth?
The application deadline for the 2012 Jazz Fest was December 3, 2012.
To contact the crafts department:
New
Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Attn: Crafts Dept.
336 Camp Street ste 250
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 410-4100
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How
can I apply for a food booth?
Jazz Fest Food Vendor Inquiry Information
For the past four decades the Food Fair at Jazz Fest has famously served some of the most delicious, restaurant quality, authentically prepared food to be found anywhere, let alone at a multi-day outdoor festival. Jazz Fest’s carefully developed menu encompasses traditional Creole and Cajun recipes, contemporary Creole innovations, New Orleans standards, and foods that reflect the rich influx of international influence in Louisiana.
What started out with a small handful of food items has now grown into an [irresistible] menu
featuring over 200 offerings, including many beloved dishes that have become a part of the Festival’s culture and, indeed, a part of the culinary culture of New Orleans.
The food items are prepared by vendors who have, for the most part, been participating in the Food Fair for many years. Festival food vendors have learned over the years to adapt to the challenges inherent to serving hundreds of thousands of Festival-goers over the course of seven days in an outdoor environment. It is a rigorous task given the fact that the food is prepared mostly by hand, with fresh local ingredients.
In any given Festival season there are very few openings for new vendors. In most years, there are none. On the rare occasion when there is an opening is it usually for a specific food item. There is no formal application process, but the Festival is always interested in learning about experienced food vendors who are creating exciting new Louisiana food items or superior quality versions of classic regional dishes.
If you feel your business model is compatible with the Festival criteria, you are welcome to fill out our Food Vendor Inquiry Contact Sheet (click here).
Please keep in mind the following:
-
All potential vendors must be full-time Louisiana residents.
-
No self-contained vending structures or vehicles are permitted.
-
No “carnival” food items or beverages will be considered.
-
There is minimal, if any, duplication of food items.
-
Food items must be prepared and served by the vendor and vendor is required to operate all Festival days.
-
General liability, vehicle liability and worker’s compensation insurance are required.
The information on the Food Vendor Inquiry Contact Sheet will be added to the Festival’s Food Fair database. This database is used for informational purposes only and does not obligate the Festival in any way.
Thank you for your interest.
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I'm a journalist interested in covering
the Festival. How can I apply for press credentials?
An online press application wil be available in Jan. 2012. You will need the following to be considered:
1.) Letter of assignment from your editor;
2.) A copy of the publication;
3.) The days you're planning to cover the Festival and your contact information.
Filling out the application does not guarantee approval.
If you need to speak with the Press Office you can e-mail us
at presscoord (at) nojazzfest.com or call 504-410-4100
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My company is interested in becoming a Sponsor.
If you are interested in discussing Sponsorship opportunities for the New
Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival you can contact us at 504-410-4100, send
an email to sponsorship@nojazzfest.com. or
write to us:
Sponsorship Department
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
336 Camp Street, Suite 250
New Orleans, LA 70130
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