Curator’s statement
Spring in New Orleans is festival season, with the Jazz and Heritage Festival being the biggest and most well known. It’s an amazing time to be in the city: The weather is usually nice (though it can definitely turn hot or rainy), the festival itself is a feast for your eyes, ears, and mouth, and because it wraps up around 7 p.m., you still have your evenings free to enjoy even more of New Orleans’ incredible food and music.
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Things to do
Interview with Marcia Ball and Carolyn Wonderland
Best entrance: Use rideshare and get dropped off as close to Esplanade and N Lopez as you can. Follow the crowd to the Sauvage Entrance.
Allison Miner stage: A small stage in the air-conditioned Grandstand. There are musician interviews each day so you can get the stories behind their life and songs—sometimes they even play a few.
Lagniappe stage: Aso in the Grandstand. It's outdoors, with tents in the center. A great place to sit in the shade and check out lesser-known acts.
Best "bathrooms": The porta-potties back on the track behind Congo Square or the very west part of the track, the trailers behind Congo Square, or the bathrooms just inside the Grandstand—for the ladies, the line to the left will look longer, but there are way more stalls so it moves quickly.
Best exit: Also the Sauvage gate. To avoid the rideshare surge, just wander around the neighborhood—you'll find live music, food, and drinks.
Best way to find night shows: Check out the WWOZ Livewire listings or use the curated JazzFestGrids.
Places to eat & drink
Oysters at Cooter Brown's
Commander’s Palace: The most iconic restaurant in New Orleans. If you want to go, you should make reservations three months before.
Domenica: Great Italian in the Central Business District.
Superior Seafood: For oyster happy hour
Cooter Brown's: A 21-and-up venue for oysters and great food any time.
Hungry Eyes: A fun, retro place with consistently good food and drinks.
Saba: Book early. Great Middle Eastern food.
Clancy's: High-end, old-school New Orleans Creole restaurant in a residential neighborhood. Like Commander's Palace for locals.
Audubon Clubhouse by Dickie Brennan & Co: A great spot for a late afternoon beverage on their patio with amazing views of Audubon Park.
Need to know
Transportation
The taxi fare from the airport is a fixed rate. The line usually moves quickly and they are usually cheaper than a rideshare.
You will want to download the Le Pass app from the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. A single adult rider fare is $1.25. You may want to consider the three-day Jazzy Pass for $8, which gives you unlimited rides.
Great music venues
Most shows are 21+ but some are 18+.
Tipitina’s: One of the most iconic live music venues in New Orleans. They have local and big-name acts.
Maple Leaf: A small venue uptown. It's easy to get to via streetcar and has great local acts.
Chickie Wah Wah: An even smaller venue that's accessible via an easy streetcar ride down Canal street.
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