As the United States grapples with the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, scheduled for October this year, will no longer be taking place, organizers said on Sunday.
With new COVID-19 cases surging in Louisiana, the festival, which had been scheduled to run October 8-10 and October 15-17 this year, has been cancelled this year, suffering the same fate as last year.
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Citing the “current exponential growth” of new COVID-19 cases in the city and region, as well as an ongoing public health emergency, the organizers said that the festival will not occur as planned.
However, in a news release, the organizers said, “We now look forward to next spring, when we will present the Festival during its traditional timeframe,” adding that next year’s dates are April 29-May 8.
Ticketholders for both festival weekends will receive an email this week with details about the refund and rollover process, the release says. All tickets for Wednesday, October 13, will be automatically refunded.
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“In the meantime, we urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials, so that we can all soon experience together the joy that is Jazz Fest,” the statement concluded.
Jazz Fest honours New Orleans’ and Louisiana’s native music and culture. All music genres, ranging from Blues, R&B, gospel, Cajun, Zydeco, Afro-Caribbean, folk, Latin, rock, rap, contemporary and traditional jazz, country, bluegrass, and everything in between are well represented. It takes place at the Fair Grounds Race Course.
The 2021 edition of the festival was rescheduled in January to October, from its tentative spring dates of April 22 – May 2. The fest’s lineup included Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Buffett, Lizzo, Demi Lovato and more. It was not noted in the release whether this year’s announced lineup will roll over to 2022.
