The 47th edition of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest takes over the Big Easy for two consecutive weekends beginning April 22. The event concludes on May 1 with its traditional closer, Trombone Shorty, at New Orleans Fair Grounds.
The lineup boasts a who’s who of American music, with such headliners as Stevie Wonder, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young + Promise of the Real, Van Morrison, Beck and Steely Dan. Other artists performing include Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Grace Potter, Rhiannon Giddens, Janelle Monae, Gary Clark Jr., Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Gov’t Mule, Bonnie Raitt, The Lone Bellow and more.
Advance single-day tickets for the festival are available for $60 through Feb. 2. From Feb. 3-April 21, those tickets sell for $65. Tickets at the gate will cost $75 and, as has been tradition for years, tickets for children age 2-10 are $5, available at the gate only. Full information on ticket sales and special packages is available at the Jazz Fest website.
Festival organizer Quint Davis, discussing this year’s lineup with the The New Orleans Advocate, said, “When we think about raising the bar — and I think about it constantly, every waking moment — that’s getting to a pretty good bar.” Looking at the talent on the bill, that’s hard to dispute. The New Orleans Jazz Fest is THE bill every musician wants to be on, and organizers do a bang-up job of accommodating their desires.
Being in New Orleans, and being called a Jazz Fest, naturally some of the local talent is on the bill as well. New Orleans faves who will perform over the course of both weekends include Stephen Colbert’s Late Show band leader Jon Batiste and his band Stay Human, the legendary Dr. John, Galactic, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Cowboy Mouth and Ivan 
Neville’s Dumpstaphunk with special guest Art Neville.
Rap will also have a presence at the fest with Snoop Dogg, Flo Rida and J. Cole making their debut appearances.
New Orleans lost its patron saint, Allen Toussaint, back in November of last year. This year’s festival will be the first since his death from a heart attack while on tour in Spain. Festival organizers have planned a tribute to both him and B.B. King on the second Sunday of the festival.
Toussaint was a mainstay at the festival for years, while King was also a fan favorite at past festivals.
The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is owned by the non-profit New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation.
If this promotional video doesn’t make you want to book a flight immediately, perhaps you should maybe check your pulse. Some fans are already calling this the best Jazz Fest lineup to date.
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