Every music lover in New Orleans and thousands around the world eagerly await the great rite of spring—the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. This year’s event is April 29 through May 8.
As we spend time perusing the schedule and planning our days at the Fairgrounds a certain amount of griping about the ticket prices can be heard from the peanut gallery. This has been going on since nearly the very beginning of the festival. In my soon-to-be-published book about the music scene in New Orleans at the end of the 20th century I document grumbling when the price went from six to eight dollars.
However, if you plan on attending every day, you can’t go wrong with the discount ticket package. You have to buy each weekend as a single purchase, but the price breaks down to 40 dollars per day. This is a bargain compared to nearly every major concert that comes to New Orleans as well as most major festivals around the world especially when you consider that the price at the gate is 60 dollars. Don’t miss the deadline—unless you’d just prefer to bitch.
Tickets are available at www.nojazzfest.com and www.ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling (800) 745-3000. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Jazz Fest ticket office located at the New Orleans Arena Box Office.
