Starting Friday, April 22, 2016, and ending the following Sunday, May 1, musicians, music fans, and visitors will flock to New Orleans to embark on a musical tradition: the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the New Orleans Fair Grounds. Behind Mardi Gras, “Jazz Fest,” as it’s known to locals, attracts the second largest crowd to the Big Easy. From some of the biggest musical acts in the world to the greatest food and most unique international artists, Jazz Fest is definitely one of the most fun times of the year here in New Orleans.
When & Where is Jazz Fest?
Jazz Fest takes place every year at the New Orleans Fair Grounds Race Course, located in the Mid-City and Gentilly neighborhoods of New Orleans. It always takes place the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May. The first weekend is always just a 3-day weekend of music while the second weekend takes place over the course of 4-days. This year, you can head down to the Fair Grounds on April 22-24th or April 28-May 1st. Gates typically open at 11:00 am and the festival ends around 7:00 p.m. You can expect non-stop music on 12 different stages throughout the day; we promise, Jazz Fest won’t disappoint.
How to Buy Tickets for Jazz Fest
There are a variety of tickets available for Jazz Fest every year. Some types of Jazz Fest tickets sell out in advance and it is advised that you purchase your Jazz Fest tickets prior to the weekend you want to attend in order to save money and to ensure you have a ticket and don’t get shut out at the gate – they can sell out and have done so in the past!
There are luxury ticket packages available for Jazz Fest such as:
Big Chief VIP Experience
Grand Marshal VIP Pass
Krewe of Jazz Fest VIP Pass
For more information about those types of ticket packages, please visit this page.
For your General Admission day-pass tickets, expect to pay $65 (plus handling fees) prior to the weekend you’re attending. For example, each ticket you purchase will be valid for a specific weekend, but not a specific day. Therefore, if you plan to attend Sunday, April 24th then you want to purchase a first weekend ticket prior to April 22nd. If you want to attend Jazz Fest on Thursday, April 28th then you’ll want to purchase a second weekend ticket prior to that date. Once the weekend arrives, prices go up to $75 at the gate. Children from ages 2-10 are only $5 and children under 2 are free. All children must be present with an adult.
Where do you buy Jazz Fest tickets?
You have a variety of choices:
- Purchase Jazz Fest tickets through Ticketmaster.com
- Charge Ticketmaster By Phone
- Ticketmaster Outlets
- Smoothie King Center Box Office (they accept cash and it is the most inexpensive way to buy your Jazz Fest tickets!)
Just so you know:
- There are no refunds or exchanges on Jazz Fest tickets
- All tickets will be scanned electronically at the gate when you enter the Festival
- Tickets obtained through unauthorized sources are not protected
- If you pick up tickets at Will Call, you must provide a Photo ID
How to Get to Jazz Fest
Jazz Fest is smack in the middle of New Orleans, which is a great thing and a bad thing. It’s a huge Festival that attracts thousands of visitors each day and therefore you want to find the most convenient method of transportation to get to and from the Fair Grounds.
Public Transportation
The New Orleans Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) operates both the New Orleans bus system and the Streetcars. You can choose to take the Canal Streetcar line to City Park/Museum and then walk over to the Fair Grounds, which isn’t very far away. Sometimes the city will supplement the Streetcar with a bus that will actually drop you off a little closer to the Festival. (I believe it’s Bus #48)
If you’re coming from the French Quarter, you can choose to the take the #91 bus that starts at Rousseau & St. Andrew streets in the Lower Garden District. Both the bus and the Streetcar are $1.25 each way per person. I suggest that you have exact change!
For more information about public transportation in New Orleans and how to get to Jazz Fest, click here.
Taxi Cabs, Uber & Lyft
This year we have the opportunity to not only take a taxi cab to Jazz Fest, but also summon an Uber or Lyft driver through our Smartphones. These are also really good options if you plan to drink at the Fest. They will cost you the most, but will avoid the risk of driving under the influence.
Jazz Fest Shuttle
If you ask the creators of Jazz Fest how you should get there, they will tell you to take the Jazz Fest Express Shuttle operated by Gray Line tours. You can purchase these tickets for $19 (round trip, per day) ahead of time or day of. The Jazz Fest Express, as it is known, has three starting/ending points: Sheraton Hotel (500 Canal St), the Steamboat Natchez Dock (Toulouse St at the River) and City Park (this year it will be from Wisner Blvd Lot at 5700 Wisner Blvd). You also get your own entrance to the Festival and don’t have to worry about long lines when you arrive (though, if you choose to take the “Downtown” shuttle, you may expect longer lines when you leave…City Park is the way to go if you can get there).
Environmentally Friendly & Cheap Transportation
The cheapest way to get to Jazz Fest is to walk. Depending on where you are coming from, there are some safe options along Esplanade, and with the development of the Lafitte Greenway, you have an extra option that will take you to Bayou St John, where you can just follow the Bayou up to the Fair Grounds. The Greenway is great for biking or walking.
For more biking information, click here for a map of where you can enter the Festival with your bike and where you’ll be able to park your bicycle safely.
Driving to Jazz Fest
If you must drive to Jazz Fest, beware that parking is limited. Onsite parking is limited to VIP parking passes only and finding a spot on the street will be difficult. You’ll have to make sure that you park legally, which means avoiding intersections, fire hydrants, no parking zones, stop signs and wrong sides of the street. If you’re lucky enough to find a parking spot, leave no valuables inside your car and lock your car. Oh, and if you plan to drink at Jazz Fest, driving is not an option for you so as to avoid the risk of DWI or worse!
Jazz Fest Ins and Outs
So, we didn’t even get into the nitty-gritty of who is performing this year at Jazz Fest, where to get the best food, what you should plan to bring or leave at home, and how to navigate the Fair Grounds. We’ll cover that in our next blog post. In the mean time, make sure to go out and get your Jazz Fest tickets before next Thursday in order to save some money!
