Features
New Orleans Jazz Fest Cancels Again Due To COVID-19
– New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
With new COVID-19 cases surging in Louisiana, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival won’t be returning this year, organizers said Sunday (Aug 8). The festival, traditionally held in the spring, was scheduled to run Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 15-17 this year after being canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jazzfest Unveils Initial Lineup Featuring Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Lizzo & More
Some of the initial artists announced for this year’s festival included were Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Buffett, Lizzo, Demi Lovato, The Black Crowes, H.E.R., Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Beach Boys, Ludacris, Trombone Shorty, and Jon Batiste.
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The event was originally scheduled to take place April 22 – May 1, when it’s been traditionally staged for 50 years. Last year’s event was to feature The Who, Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Lizzo, Lionel Richie, The Lumineers, The Black Crowes and many more, but was officially canceled in April because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Organizers cited “current exponential growth” of new COVID-19 cases in the city and region, as well as an ongoing public health emergency, in announcing that the festival will not occur as planned.
“We now look forward to next spring, when we will present the Festival during its traditional time frame,” organizers said in a news release, adding that next year’s dates are April 29-May 8.
Ticketholders for both festival weekends will receive an email this week with details about the refund and rollover process, the release says. All tickets for Wednesday, Oct. 13, will be automatically refunded.
Jazz Fest is a co-production with AEG Presents and celebrated 50 years in 2019 with Dave Matthews Band, Katy Perry, Chris Stapleton, Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band, Pitbull, Santana, Diana Ross, Van Morrison and Al Green among others.
Jazz Fest celebrates the indigenous music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana. The music encompasses nearly every style imaginable: blues, R&B, gospel, Cajun, Zydeco, Afro-Caribbean, folk, Latin, rock, rap, contemporary and traditional jazz, country, bluegrass and everything in between. It’s held at the Fair Grounds Race Course, where multiple stages are erected for fans to gather in and around.