New Orleans Jazz Fest 2025
One of the New Orleans' biggest events of the year, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, is can't miss part of the city's busy spring season.
Founded by George Wein, Quint Davis, and Allison Miner, Jazz Fest was first held in NOLA in 1970 and has continued to grow in popularity ever since. Hundreds of thousands of people come to the Crescent City just to experience for Jazz Fest, so consider being in that number and enjoy all that the festival has to offer this year.
Info to Know
The 2025 edition of Jazz Fest will be taking place from April 24-27 and May 1-4 at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, located at 1751 Gentilly Blvd., from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. On-site parking is limited to people who have purchased Jazz Fest VIP packages, but shuttle services to the fest are available at Sheraton New Orleans Hotel on Canal Street and other locations.
Tickets are available in General Admission, VIP, and Tickets Packages all at different price ranges. The VIP and Tickets Packages, which offer a variety of special perks, cover all four days of each weekend, while General Admission offers both single day and all weekend passes. Louisiana residents with a Louisiana billing zipcode are eligible for a locals discount for General Admission.
Once inside of the Fair Grounds, there are also many do's and do not's that people should follow to ensure that everyone has a good experience during Jazz Fest. The festival is also a cashless event, so only credit cards, debit cards, and certain digital forms of payment will be accepted within the event.
Music Headliners
One of Jazz Fest's main draws for so many people is the wide range of local, national, and International acts that are booked to perform at the festival. Covering everything from jazz and classic rock to hip hop, gospel, Cajun/Zydeco, and more, there is wide and diverse pool of musical talent at every single Jazz Fest. Headliners for this year include Lil Wayne, Dave Matthews Band, Lenny Kravitz, Kacey Musgraves, Santana, John Fogerty, Gladys Knight, Irma Thomas, and many more.
The festival also has the Expedia Cultural Exchange Pavilion, which highlights the music and culture of a particular country every year. This year's featured country is Mexico.
A full list of who is performing at Jazz Fest this year, where exactly they will be in the Fair Grounds, and at what time they will start their sets is available through the Jazz Fest Cubes.
Food & Drinks
Another important aspect of New Orleans culture is its food, which will be highlighted along with many other types of cuisines during Jazz Fest. Food vendors from all over Louisiana will be set up around the Fair Grounds and will be offering plenty of unique dishes for attendees to enjoy. Some of these vendors will also be offering drinks, while there will also be tents throughout the grounds offering beer, water, wine, soft drinks, and more to keep attendees refreshed.
Arts & Crafts
In addition to music and food, arts and crafts vendors will be present and selling their wares to Jazz Fest attendees. These vendors can be found at specific areas within the festival grounds, including the Congo Square African Marketplace, the Contemporary Crafts, and the Louisiana Marketplace. Said arts and crafts can include anything from clothing, jewelry, paintings, sculptures, and much more.
Anyone interested in seeing this year's featured art vendors and their goods outside of Jazz Fest can see them at the Outside The Tent exhibit at the The Jazz & Heritage Gallery on 1205 N. Rampart St.
One special aspect of Jazz Fest is BayouWear, which sells unique and locally themed Hawaiian shirts, umbrellas, and more both online and within the festival's grounds. The company also sells the official Jazz Fest posters, which this year's features local band Tank and the Bangas.
Special Events
The Jazz Fest festivities are not just limited to within the Fair Grounds. Several locations around New Orleans will be having special events and night shows during Jazz Fest, so the good times will continue to roll for festival-goers who finish up a day at Jazz Fest, as well as locals and visitors looking for something to do within the Big Easy.
