New Orleans Jazz Fest Tickets

This year the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will boast some of the biggest names in not only jazz and soul music, it also features rock, country, hip hop and jam band greats as well.

The seven-day festival will be held April 25th - 27th and May 1st-4th at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, and will feature an eclectic group of talented musicians, including The Neville Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, Tim McGraw, Widespread Panic, The Raconteurs, Keyshia Cole and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, with thousands more.

The festival will kick off on Friday with performances from Buckwheat Zydeco, Sheryl Crow, Plant and Krauss, Burning Spear and Osomatli with Chali 2na, among others. Saturday boasts Dr. John, Billy Joel, Keysha Cole, O.A.R., and The Count Basie Orchestra feat. Patti Austin, with many more guests. The first weekend will wrap up with performances from Irma Thomas, McGraw, Al Green, Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint and Cassandra Wilson on Sunday.

The following Thursday will include performances from Randy Newman, Widespread Panic, Tower of Power and Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers. Friday includes shows from Art Neville, Stevie Wonder, John Prine and Michael Franti & Spearhead. Saturday brings Marcia Ball, Jimmy Buffett, Diana Krall, Steel Pulse and The Roots, and the entire festival will end with an amazing day full of performances from The Neville Brothers, Santana, Maze feat. Frankie Beverly, the Raconteurs, Galactic, The Derek Trucks Band and Keb Mo.

In addition to hearing amazing performances from a wide variety of artists, the festival is also a cultural experience. At the Grandstand, guests can really examine the vibrant culture of Louisiana through exhibits and demonstrations. In the first weekend, guests will learn more about the Mardi Gras Indian crafts and traditions in the area, and the second week will focus on the artistic side of New Orleans, including jazz funeral photography and folk art.

The festival is so rooted in jazz thanks to gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington and the Eureka Brass Band. When Jackson was handed the microphone while the band was marching though the Louisiana Heritage Fair in 1970, the jazz fest was born spontaneously, and has been celebrating the rich culture of New Orleans for over three decades.

There will also be a number of craft areas to wonder at the festival, including Congo Square, which highlights music and art from Africa, Contemporary Crafts, a colorful stop full of clothing, glass and paintings, and the Louisiana Marketplace, full of crafts from the state.

The Louisiana Folklife Village will examine the heritage behind the great state, proudly displaying Mardi Gras floats and handcrafted musical instruments. The Native American Village highlights the traditions of the indigenous people of the state, including authentic dance and pow wow demonstrations, as well as woodcarving.