A Grownup s Guide to New Orleans Jazz Festival
A Grownup's Guide to New Orleans Jazz Festival Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close
Bonnie Raitt is one of the headliners who have made repeated trips to perform at Jazz Fest. Daniel DeSlover/Alamy Music will be flowing simultaneously from a dozen stages, and we're talking all kinds of music. Don’t let the festival name fool you. While contemporary and traditional jazz play a pivotal role, every genre that’s ever been stirred into the city’s gumbo of sound is represented, including blues, R&B, Cajun, zydeco, gospel, folk, Latin, rock, rap, bluegrass, Afro-Caribbean, country and pop.
And while this year’s lineup beckons youth with hot names like Khalid, Common and Cage the Elephant, it’s top-heavy with veterans — from Rod Stewart, Sting and Lionel Richie to Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Smokey Robinson and the Steve Miller Band. Among those making their Jazz Fest debut are Aerosmith, Jack White, David Byrne and Beck.
Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Crave a souvenir? Jazz Fest upstages the typical concert merch stand with a tent of goods (shirts, skirts, aprons, posters, umbrellas, postcards) and devotes sizable areas for juried shows of contemporary crafts, Louisiana folk art and an African marketplace.
And finally, there's the comfort factor. Shuttles drop fans at the front gate. The gospel, blues, jazz and Economy Hall (ragtime, Dixieland) stages are under enormous tents with seating. Bleachers can be found flanking other popular stages. Picnic tables are near some concessions. The grandstand has two stages (with ample seating) for live shows, cooking demonstrations and artist interviews.
“We’re the one festival for grownups,” says Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis. “The three pillars to the festival are music, art and food. If all the music went away, people would still come to eat that food. There are no funnel cakes here. We’ve got crawfish strudel, trout Baquet and crabmeat beignets. Don’t eat for a day and a half before you come.”
Another big plus: The fest runs daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., leaving evenings open for New Orleans dining and clubs.
AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS
A Grownup s Guide to New Orleans Jazz Fest
Think you ve outgrown grand music festivals Trust us you have not
The New Orleans band Galactic performs at its hometown Jazz & Heritage Festival last year at Fair Grounds Race Course. Douglas Mason/WireImage . Weekend electronic dance marathons? Pass. Stale pretzels and flat beer between metal blasts in a barren field? Pass. A three-day classic rock revue with peace, love and no chairs? Hard pass. There is one, however, that is made for grownup music lovers and, appropriately enough, it's in the Big Easy. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is the answer for those 50 and older who want a multiday musical getaway without the boot camp hardships. The annual event, in its 49th year, takes place across two weekends, this year April 27-29 and May 3-6, at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds Race Course, 10 minutes from the French Quarter. The agenda: Laissez les bons temps rouler .Bonnie Raitt is one of the headliners who have made repeated trips to perform at Jazz Fest. Daniel DeSlover/Alamy Music will be flowing simultaneously from a dozen stages, and we're talking all kinds of music. Don’t let the festival name fool you. While contemporary and traditional jazz play a pivotal role, every genre that’s ever been stirred into the city’s gumbo of sound is represented, including blues, R&B, Cajun, zydeco, gospel, folk, Latin, rock, rap, bluegrass, Afro-Caribbean, country and pop.
And while this year’s lineup beckons youth with hot names like Khalid, Common and Cage the Elephant, it’s top-heavy with veterans — from Rod Stewart, Sting and Lionel Richie to Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Smokey Robinson and the Steve Miller Band. Among those making their Jazz Fest debut are Aerosmith, Jack White, David Byrne and Beck.
Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Crave a souvenir? Jazz Fest upstages the typical concert merch stand with a tent of goods (shirts, skirts, aprons, posters, umbrellas, postcards) and devotes sizable areas for juried shows of contemporary crafts, Louisiana folk art and an African marketplace.
And finally, there's the comfort factor. Shuttles drop fans at the front gate. The gospel, blues, jazz and Economy Hall (ragtime, Dixieland) stages are under enormous tents with seating. Bleachers can be found flanking other popular stages. Picnic tables are near some concessions. The grandstand has two stages (with ample seating) for live shows, cooking demonstrations and artist interviews.
“We’re the one festival for grownups,” says Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis. “The three pillars to the festival are music, art and food. If all the music went away, people would still come to eat that food. There are no funnel cakes here. We’ve got crawfish strudel, trout Baquet and crabmeat beignets. Don’t eat for a day and a half before you come.”
Another big plus: The fest runs daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., leaving evenings open for New Orleans dining and clubs.
AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe More on entertainment AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS