Always helps to be prepared when coming to the Fest!
Check out our FAQ’s below for some pro tips, general info, and other important tid bits. See you at the Fest!
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, 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 Thursday, April 25 – Sunday, April 28 & Thursday, May 2 – Sunday, May 5, 2024.
Thursday, April 25 – Sunday, April 28 & Thursday, May 2 – Sunday, May 5, 2024. 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. – 7 p.m.
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.
The complete list of musicians performing at the Jazz & Heritage Festival will be announced in January. A more complete schedule in grid form, known as “the cubes,” is available closer to the Festival, usually around one month before the Fest. This website will be one of the first places to view the entire schedule.
Tickets will go on sale in conjunction with the talent announcement in January.
Tickets can be purchased here:
Visit our Tickets Page for more information.
The Festival takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course, 1751 Gentilly Boulevard.
Travel
To make it easier for travelers to plan their trips, Expedia launched the new Jazz Fest Travel Hub which features city guides, travel resources and exclusive offers for One Key™ members such as hotel discounts and access to giveaways and VIP experiences.
Parking
Parking on site is available for pre-purchase ONLY with the Big Chief, Grand Marshal and Krewe of Jazz Fest VIP packages. A limited number of Accessible spaces for people with disabilities will be for sale at the gate — first-come, first-served — at $50 per day. No parking or unloading on-site for oversized vehicles, such as RVs and charter buses. Limited parking for bicycles is available free of charge at the Gentilly Boulevard and Sauvage Street pedestrian gates.
Note: Parking in the surrounding neighborhood is restricted to residents only. Patrons are encouraged to use alternative modes of travel, such as Jazz Fest Express (The Official Jazz Fest Shuttle), public transportation, carpools and bicycles.
Jazz Fest Express Shuttle
The Jazz Fest Express shuttle in 2024 will provide continuous round-trip transportation between 4 departure points and the Fair Grounds, the site of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The shuttle operates all 8 days of the Fest from 10:30 am – 7:30 pm CT (or until all patrons have left the Fair Grounds). Festival gates open at 11 am daily.
DEPARTURE POINTS
Downtown:
French Quarter (Steamboat Natchez Dock) – Toulouse St. at the River (400 Toulouse St. on Google Maps).
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel – 500 Canal St.
A brand new location at South Market District (Poydras St. at Loyola Ave.)
City Park:
Wisner Lot – 5700 Wisner Blvd. on Google Maps (near Fillmore Ave.); parking included
Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.axs.com/events/511273/2024-new-orleans-jazz-heritage-festival-presented-by-shell-weekend-2-tickets?skin=nolajazzfest
For more Jazz Fest Express shuttle information, call Gray Line at (504) 569-1401 or (800) 233-2628 from 9am – 4pm CT daily.
https://www.graylineneworleans.com/jazz-fest-express
Jazz Fest is Cashless
Jazz Fest is a cashless event. Ticket, food, beverage, craft, and merchandise booths accept credit cards, debit cards and digital forms of payment such as ApplePay, etc. For Festivalgoers who come to the event with only cash, the Festival will offer two cash exchange booths.
What Forms of Payment Will Be Accepted?
- All Major Credit Cards
- Debit Cards
- Prepaid Cards
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Samsung Pay
What’s the Cash Exchange Process at Jazz Fest?
Patrons without credit cards or digital payment options, can bring their cash to a Cash Exchange location and obtain a prepaid card. There is a maximum exchange of $500 per card. Multiple cards can be purchased. There are no fees associated with getting a card. Any balance remaining on a prepaid card can be spent outside the Festival.
Please see the Jazz Fest Map for Cash Exchange locations.
To make it easier for travelers to plan their trips, Expedia launched the new Jazz Fest Travel Hub which features city guides, travel resources and exclusive offers for One Key™ members such as hotel discounts and access to giveaways and VIP experiences.
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 & Company (formally the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau.) They can be reached at 800-672-6124 or 504-566-5003. https://www.neworleans.com
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. Book your stay with Expedia.
JAZZ FEST LOST & FOUND
FOUND ITEMS
Please immediately bring to any information booth.
LOST ITEMS
Please go to Information Booth/Lost & Found tent located on the pedestrian walkway behind the Shell Gentilly Stage.
After the Festival or between the two Festival weekends – text or call the Operations Department at (504) 224-6544 or email lost@nojazzfest.com
OR FILL OUT OUR LOST & FOUND FORM BELOW
Jazz Fest welcomes people of all abilities to come out to the Festival and enjoy the music, food, art, and cultural heritage of New Orleans. Visit the Access Program Page for more information. If you have additional questions contact us. Email is preferred access@nojazzfest.com
The 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.
Yes, a dedicated area for mothers to pump or nurse is located on the west side of the Grandstand on the third floor. Patrons can follow directional signage to the location. Changing stations are located in the women’s restrooms on the 1st floor of the Grandstand. Visit the Access Center in front of the Grandstand for additional information.
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.
There are always a number of tasty vegan/vegetarian-friendly items on the menu as well.
You really can’t go wrong with either. Great care is taken to distribute the music evenly over both weekends.
The Festival’s limited-edition posters are produced by Art4Now. Their website, http://www.art4now.com, includes information about the values of vintage posters.
Information about Volunteering can be found here:
https://www.nojazzfest.com/info/volunteering/
and our Job Listings can be found here:
https://www.nojazzfest.com/human-resources/
The mission of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is to promote, preserve, perpetuate, and encourage the music, arts, culture, and heritage of Louisiana.
Approximately 85% – 90% of bands presented at Jazz Fest are active members of the Louisiana music community.
The application period to perform at the 2024 Festival is from July 1 – October 1.
Click here to apply: https://www.nojazzfest.com/apply
An application for a booth at the 2024 Festival will go live sometime in the fall.
For more information, please e-mail: craftsadmin@nojazzfest.com
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.
The application period to apply for press credentials to the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell is available here:
You will need the following to complete this application:
1.) Letter of assignment from your editor
2.) A copy of the publication or details about the assigning outlet
3.) The days you’re planning to cover the Festival and your contact information
4.) If you’ve covered Jazz Fest before, copies of your previous coverage
If you are interested in discussing Sponsorship opportunities for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival you can contact us at sponsorship@nojazzfest.com. or write to us:
Sponsorship Department
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
One Canal Place
365 Canal St. Suite 2250 New Orleans, LA 70130
COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. There is an inherent and elevated risk of exposure to COVID-19 in any public place or place where people are present and there is no guarantee, express or implied, that those attending the festival will not be exposed to COVID-19
All attendees agree to follow festival policies (including health and safety policies) and posted instructions while at the festival. According to the CDC, older adults and people of all ages with serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk of death or severe illness from COVID-19. All attendees should evaluate their risk in determining whether to attend the festival. By entering the festival, attendees voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and confirm that they will adhere to local quarantine mandates and the CDC quarantine requirements, available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html.