The two-weekend New Orleans party is quickly approaching. As tickets sell out and festival goers book Airbnbs, let’s take a trip down memory lane at over 50 years of history. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival brings in over 400,000 visitors each year to experience culture, music, food, and the weekend of a lifetime for friends and family.

The festival is set to take place for two weekends this year beginning April 25 through May 5. Iconic artists made the lineup for 2024 including The Rolling Stones, Greta Van Fleet, The Foo Fighters, and countless others. While we are stoked for the upcoming year, we wanted to shine some light back to the beginning where it all started.

The 1970s

Jazz Fest dates back to 1970 when George Wein was hired to create the unique jazz festival experience for New Orleans as he had done for the Newport Jazz Festival.

The lineup

Think you’re hyped for the 2024 lineup? Imagine how people felt seeing the very first lineup in 1970. The festival was scheduled for April 22-26 in Congo Square and the lineup included Mahalia Jackson and Duke Ellington, Pete Fountain, Al Hirt, Clifton Chenier, Fats Domino, The Meters, The Preservation Hall Band, parades every day with The Olympia Brass Band and Mardi Gras Indians, and countless others. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was set to be a New Orleans staple and quickly gained traction and interest after bringing in 350 people in its first year. The festival aimed to thrive in a city full of rich musical history and immersive culture.

Designer and founder George Wein said,

Eventually, Quint Davis and Allison Miner were hired. Davis quickly established the festival as an annual event in Louisiana and remains the producer and director of Jazz Fest. Miner, who sadly passed away in 1995, made many creative contributions including the Music Heritage Stage.

The first five years

The festival quickly outgrew Congo Square and moved locations in 1972 to the Fair Grounds. By 1975, Jazz Fest brought in 80,000 people— an enormous step forward in just five years. It wasn’t until 1976 that the festival added a second weekend, bringing in even more visitors to the New Orleans area.

The festival continued to grow throughout the decades.

Throughout the 1980s and the 1990s, the festival saw incredible growth with attendance reaching more than 300,000 people by the end of the 1980s. The festival kicked off many things we know and love during the 1990s including the Thursday kick-off into the second weekend.

Attendance only grew as the years went on with 650,000 people attending in 2001. The festival went on to feature Pearl Jam in 2010, Bruce Springsteen, Santana, and Eric Clapton in 2014, Dave Matthews Band, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and hundreds more each year.

Our DIG team is attending the 2024 festival. Are you? Click here to get information on tickets before they sell out. Don't forget to book your hotel or Airbnb so you can stay the entire weekend.

Are you wondering how to fill your time while waiting on Jazz Fest? Click here for the Rock N Rowe lineup and dates.

FEATURED IMAGE VIA HNOC / CREDIT MICHAEL P. SMITH
Information gathered from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival