New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is expanding from a seven-day format to an eight-day format in 2024, the event announced on Wednesday. The 2024 edition of the long-running New Orleans, LA festival is now set to run from Thursday to Sunday on two consecutive weekends, April 25th–28th and May 2nd–5th.
In past years, Jazz Fest has started on Friday, run through Sunday, then resumed the following Thursday for a “locals day” before continuing through the weekend for a total of seven days.
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The expansion to eight days evokes memories of 2019, when New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival similarly added a “first Thursday” for its 50th anniversary year in order to accommodate a separately ticketed “second Thursday” performance by The Rolling Stones. The change in format prompted mixed feelings from the event’s devoted fanbase, though that outcry proved to be for naught when at the end of March the Stones postponed their entire North American tour to allow Mick Jagger to undergo heart surgery.
In the wake of the cancellation, fans were left to wonder who might fill the headlining vacancy—and whether or not a passable substitute for one of the greatest bands in history even exists, particularly on such short notice.
Eventually, organizers wound up finding a relatively admirable suitor for the vacated slot in Fleetwood Mac, but just four days after announcing the replacement act, Fleetwood Mac postponed its tour, as well, due to Stevie Nicks health issues. Finally, as the event drew closer, organizers turned to veteran Fest act Widespread Panic to take over the second Thursday headlining duties, converted the controversial, specially-ticketed day back to a regular Jazz Fest pricing structure, and designated it as a second “Locals Thursday.”
Widespread Panic wound up playing its set at the Fairgrounds on May 2nd, 2019, and Jazz Fest wound up selling so many tickets over the course of the extended 2019 event that organizers soon announced that the eight-day model would return in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic took over from there, nullifying the spring 2020 and spring 2021 events (as well as a brief stab at an October 2021 event). When Jazz Fest returned to action in 2022 and 2023, the event reverted to its original, seven-day format.
The festival has not indicated any different pricing or ticketing details for the added eighth day, and tickets will not go on sale until the 2024 artist lineup is announced.
For more information on New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2024, head here.