[UPDATE 1/19/20]: Organizers of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival have officially announced that this year’s gathering will take place October 8th–17th. The two-week celebration of New Orleans music and culture was ultimately canceled in 2020 and hoped to return for its traditional late-April/early-May timeframe in spring 2021.
In a statement shared by festival organizers on Tuesday, producer/director of Jazz Fest Quint Davis said,
We are all ready to get together again and share that special spirit that lives at Jazz Fest. It’s taking longer than we want, but we’ll have our celebration when the time comes. Your health, along with the health of our musicians, food and crafts vendors, and all of the folks that work to make the magic happen, remains the priority as we plan the return of Jazz Fest.
The statement noted that details about the upcoming fall dates will be announced come spring. Organizers will also relay details about exchanging or refunding tickets in the coming days. Read the full statement below.
JAZZ FEST 2021 RESCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 8-17
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the producers of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell have decided to postpone this year’s event until the fall. Jazz Fest 2021 is scheduled for October 8-17. #jazzfest pic.twitter.com/5dMr0iiqts— New Orleans JazzFest (@jazzfest) January 19, 2021
[1/15/20]: Organizers for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival are reportedly planning to reschedule the spring 2021 event back to the fall months, a report published by Relix on Friday revealed.
The long-running festival, which was initially rescheduled but ultimately canceled in 2020, will reportedly move back the weekends of October 8th and October 15th at its normal location in the New Orleans Fair Grounds. Event organizers have yet to confirm the change of 2021 dates, but will likely do so in the coming weeks as music fans continue to wait for updates on the struggling concert and festival industry ahead of the uncertain spring and summer months.
Additionally, organizers for New Orleans’ The French Quarter Festival–which also typically takes place in the spring–have announced the event has also been pushed back to fall with official 2021 dates confirmed for September 30th-October 3rd. The announcement shared via Offbeat Magazine also confirmed the event will return to its usual April running in 2022.
“Although French Quarter Fest typically takes place in April, the ongoing COVID crisis has made it necessary for us to remain flexible,” French Quarter Festivals CEO Emily Madero told the media outlet. “As one of the largest free music and food festivals in the United States, we always want to ensure our impact is in the best interest of the City and our French Quarter neighbors and businesses.”
The reports of the two New Orleans festivals come just a few days after Dr. Anthony Fauci projected major concert events could possibly return by the fall months if the COVID-19 vaccine rollout goes according to plan. Organizers for Coachella are also reportedly planning to reschedule the spring 2021 event to the fall, though no announcement has been made yet. The multi-weekend pop music festival is currently set to take place in Indio, CA on April 9th-11th (weekend one), and April 16th-18th (weekend two).
Click here to revisit Live For Live Music‘s on-site coverage from the 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.