Kicking off on April 25, 2019, New Orleans will be hosting its 50th Anniversary Jazz and Heritage Festival. Jazz Times announced recently that, to honor the anniversary, Jazz Fest will be extended a few extra days on the calendar. Currently both installments of the festival will start April 25 and go through the 28th, and will pick up again May 2 through the fifth.
The lineup and ticketing information continues to be released and can be viewed on the nojazzfest.com website. As of right now, huge names are on the lineup. Fans and festival goers can expect to see Aerosmith, Sting, Jimmy Buffet, LL Cool J, Sheryl Crow, Beck, Charlie Wilson, Cage The Elephant, DJ Khaled, and many more acts. Kermit Ruffins’s Tribute to Louis Armstrong will also be playing, as will the Lost Bayou Ramblers, Royal Teeth, and The Lee Boys.
Normally, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival begins on a Friday and goes through Sunday; however, to honor locals, this additional day will take place on Thursday and is being called “Locals Thursday.” Anyone with a valid Louisiana ID or driver’s license will be able to purchase the discounted tickets at the gate on Thursday, cites Jazz Times . It has been reported that discount tickets will be approximately $50 USD.
The food list shows various savory and sweet meals and treats for festival goers. They can expect to feast on crawfish bread, shrimp bread, sausage and jalapeno bread, all from Panaroma Foods; cajun jambalaya and fried chicken from Catering Unlimited; fresh squeezed lemonade and fruit salad from Joyce’s Lemonade; hot sausage Po-Boy and alligator sausage crawfish Po-Boy from Vaucresson’s Sausage Co.; pecan catfish meniere, seafood mirliton casserole, fried crab cake with smoked tomato and jalapeno tartar from Gallagher’s Grill; boiled crawfish and other goodies from Smitty’s Seafood Restaurant, and so many more, including the much loved New Orleans boudin balls. There will even be vegetarian options.
The festival will also be loaded up with crafts in Congo Square African Marketplace, Contemporary Craft, and Louisiana Marketplace. The crafts at Louisiana Marketplace will be a variety of artistic media. Shoppers will see photography, Acadian and Creole furniture, jewelry, and other distinctive items. Congo Square promises to be filled with music, art, and energy, featuring an array of local, national, and international artisans exhibiting ancient crafting techniques. Meanwhile, Contemporary Crafts is a nationally recognized showplace of artists who display and sell handmade fine arts and crafts.
