IN THE JAZZ FEST KIDS AREA young festival goers and their families can enjoy a wide variety of cultural, technological and free-spirited fun in several shaded tents, a family recreation area, and a relaxing Peace Garden. It is a special place where kids can see performances, find art making activities, play interactive games and learn about the unique cultural and natural heritage of Louisiana.

At the heart of the kids area is The Ochsner Children’s Tent with a vibrant music stage featuring live performances and shows specifically tailored for children sponsored by Ochsner Children’s Hospital. Talented musicians, bands and entertainers will grace the stage, captivating the young audience with interactive and age- appropriate music programming. From catchy sing-alongs to energetic dance routines, the stage will be a hub of excitement enriched in culture and entertainment.

Step into the Ochsner Children’s Activity Tent for exciting, hands-on activities that connect science, health and music! Test your grip strength with a special device and compare your results to famous musicians, athletes, and artists. Use a real stethoscope to listen to your own heartbeat and lungs, amplified for everyone to hear. Discover the surprising amount of sugar hidden in everyday foods by guessing and revealing the actual sugar content with model cubes. Also, challenge yourself in a breath control game by keeping a ball floating in the air — just like musicians and athletes train their lungs for performance and endurance! Lastly, be sure to stop by the toddlers’ coloring station or take a moment to participate in painting the oversized community mural!

Visitors to the Cultural Arts Tent can explore the Artes de Mexico in honor of this year’s Cultural Exchange Pavillion featured country, Mexico! Play “Son Huasteco Loteria,” a fun musical Mexican bingo game with visiting Mexican artist Alec Dempster and dance with the Lucha Krewe. Inspired craft activities include decorating mini sugar skulls and mariposas, making “cempasúchil” (paper flowers), milagro bracelets, Luchadora masks and more!

See the various creative processes involved in creating and preserving the cultural heritage of Mardi Gras up close. Arts demonstrations and hands-on activities are led by professional carnival artists Caroline Thomas and Dana Buehler and other guest artists. Kids will be able to meet and work with the many guest artists painting papier-mâché, designing their own costumes and floats, and creating sustainable Mardi Gras throws. Local culture bearers guide kids in creating traditional crafts like the second line umbrellas of the Baby Dolls. Outside the tent, kids can enjoy a mini Mardi Gras float designed just for the Jazz Fest Kids area by local float builder Joey Mercer.

In the Interactive Technology Tent young festival goers can get creative with Stinky Science, a local company founded by Rahn Broady and Jimmy Luttrell to help reduce the Fossil Fuel Pollution in our direct and fragile community while celebrating the culture and art of our beautiful city.

The Pontchartrain Conservancy brings learning and fun together with activities that include an augmented reality 3-D Sandbox where technology meets geology — as you shape and mold ordinary sand with your hands, colorful digital landscapes materialize before your eyes, projected onto the sand’s surface. Young adventurers can learn about marine life and environmental conservation while having a blast maneuvering through obstacle courses with underwater remote operated vehicles (ROVs), observing microplastics from marine debris in our drinking water using microscopes, and play an interactive game to discover how long it takes different items of marine debris to degrade and what you can do to lessen their impact on the environment.

There’s even an area for sound exploration with local musicians and self-guided alternative instruments from Brand New Noise. Each Saturday family portraits are available to capture your Jazz Fest memories with a local photographer.

Need to relax? Spend some time in the JF Kids Peace Garden. Designed for natural play, it offers mindful movement, games and activities that use quiet observation and play for a gentle sensory experience as well as a place to sit and rest. The first weekend features certified yoga teachers to engage all ages and abilities in diverse mindfulness based activities. Renowned New Orleans musician Jason Marsalis joins the fun with a sonic sound exploration to accompany the mindful movement. Other activities in the Peace Garden vary day by day including sound baths and hand pan drumming in our Magidomes, plus chalk art, weaving, sunprints and more.

And the fun doesn’t stop there! The Family Recreation Area has games and activities to entertain and provide an environment where families can play together. And everyday from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. you can swing by the Swamp Disco for a silent disco dance party with dueling DJs. Check out the activity schedule at the Kids Info Booth and come pass a good time in the Kids Area!