Without the blues, there would be no jazz or R&B.

Our Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, established in 2006, continues New Orleans’ historic role in making the blues and R&B among the most influential sounds in the world. The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival presents many of the top performers from southern Louisiana and Mississippi, plus delicious food and unique visual art.

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About

Presented by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the 16th annual Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival features three days filled with live blues and jazz performances, a local art market, and some of the best BBQ vendors throughout the Crescent City! The festival takes place at the beautiful Lafayette Square Park which is bordered by Poydras Street and St. Charles Avenue. The park is located across from the historical Gallier Hall, former City Hall and another great site for music throughout the years. Just like in the past years, there will be two stages of music, a huge arts market, lots of BBQ!

VIP Tickets

Admission to the general public is free. But for the 16th annual we are offering a limited, exclusive opportunity to purchase access to our VIP guest area. The revenue from these ticket sales helps to offset the enormous expense of putting on the festival. (We do not, however, generate a profit: The costs of staging the festival far exceed the revenue we earn from concessions, sponsorships, VIP Experience ticket sales and donations.)

Arts Market 

We will host a huge arts market, highlighting the best local and regional makers of hand-crafted artworks and home furnishings. As at all of our events, we’ll feature some of the best artisans in the region selling hand-made art, jewelry and other crafts.  

Food Vendors 

Once again, we’re going overboard with a huge spread of great barbecue, representing several regional styles – with a fresh emphasis on Louisiana, since New Orleans has seen a surge in barbecue restaurants in the time since we started this festival! And yes, it’s a barbecue festival – but we will have some options for vegetarians, vegans and those who eat gluten-free. 

Volunteer

Interested in being part of this amazing festival? Join the krewe and volunteer! We are looking for enthusiastic and friendly volunteers who know how to pass a good time. Click below to check out available volunteer opportunities!

listen live

Jazz & Heritage community radio station WWOZ New Orleans 90.7 FM will broadcast the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival live from Lafayette Square – over the air and in streaming video at www.wwoz.org.

CDs, T-SHIRTS AND AUTOGRAPHS

As always, the Louisiana Music Factory will be on festival grounds to sell CDs and other merchandise. Many of our performers will visit the tent to sign autographs immediately after their performances. We’ll also have official Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival t-shirts available in the Jazz & Heritage Merchandise Tent!

Media/Press

Media/Photo pass credentials are provided to those who are on assignment for established media outlets or who have a documented history of publishing photos in mainstream media outlets.  To apply for a Media/Photo pass, please click HERE.

Blues Fest Performer Autographed Guitar

Painted Axe has generously provided a one-of-a-kind guitar that will be autographed by this year’s Blues Fest performers and auctioned to raise donations for the Foundation. The guitar’s multicolored minimalist design, created using a fluid art technique called chain pull, symbolizes the vibrance of the French Quarter and the richness of the bayou. Learn more

Keep the Festival Safe and Free: No Outside Food, Beverages or Pets

Like all of our events, the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival is completely free and open to the public – part of the community investment made by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. PLEASE: Except for those with small children or dietary restrictions, please do not bring outside food or beverages to the event – no coolers are permitted.

We realize that Lafayette Square is usually open to pets. But for the safety and comfort of our large audience, we ask that you respect your neighbors and leave your companion animals at home (except for service animals, of course).

No Smoking 

The City of New Orleans has a prohibition on smoking – which doesn’t cover outdoor spaces in most of the city, but it does cover Lafayette Square. So, please, no smoking of cigarettes, cigars or pipes, and no vaping.

Recording 

Please: No audio or video recording of our performers.

Parking

There is parking in the Poydras Center (650 Poydras Street) for a flat fee, and there are many other street-level parking lots in the area.

Public Transit

Lafayette Square is conveniently located along the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line (map) and the Magazine Street (No. 11) bus route (map).

Hotel Partner

Enjoy your stay during the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival with partner hotel, Virgin Hotels New Orleans, where you will find special rates extended just for Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest goers. Only steps away from the festival grounds, the hotel is located in New Orleans’ lively Warehouse District. Virgin Hotels New Orleans mixes a passion for food and beverage with music and culture that fuses with the Crescent City’s unique personality, providing an inclusive environment for travelers and locals alike. Hotel space is limited and allotted on a first come, first serve basis.

No Chairs perimeter

Due to the heavy use of camp chairs by many fans in close proximity to our stages, we are forced to institute a “no chairs” perimeter of 75 feet from both stages. We appreciate that many of you like to bring chairs to the festival and set up camp in front of the stages. But this prevents many of our other guests from having the opportunity to get a closer look at the onstage action. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

ADA Access

We provide reserved areas at both stages for our guests who use wheelchairs. And we have a special deck with views of both stages reserved for our guests in wheelchairs. There is an ADA drop-off area on Camp Street where vehicles carrying passengers with special needs may unload. We also provide ADA compliant toilets in all three of our locations for Port-O-Lets (at the corners of Camp and North Maestri streets, Camp Street and South Maestri streets, and St. Charles at South Maestri). The ADA toilets are kept locked for cleanliness; to access them, please visit our Foundation Information booth and we’ll provide you with the combination, or ask any of the greeters who are seated at the donation boxes at three entry points around the park.

Brought to You By 

The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival is a presentation of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. Our broadcast partner is WWOZ New Orleans 90.7 FM. 

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Our sponsors

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is grateful for support provided by the sponsors of the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, including Cathead Vodka, Urban South Brewery, Oxbow Rum Distillery, Luzianne Tea, Evamor Water, Chillzone, WGNO, Louisiana Office of Cultural Development, Louisiana Lottery, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

A very special thank you to our volunteer sponsor, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is the nonprofit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The Foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest, and other funds, for year-round programs in the areas of education, economic development and cultural events.