After a little breather, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival picks back up Thursday, April 30, for its second long weekend. There will be hundreds of performances, plenty of food and a lot of Louisiana culture happening on the Fair Grounds until the 2026 edition comes to an end Sunday, May 3.
This week’s big acts include the Eagles, Lainey Wilson, The Black Keys, Widespread Panic, Earth, Wind & Fire, Alabama Shakes, Ziggy Marley and T-Pain. And, as is tradition, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue close out the Festival Stage again this year.
With 12 stages of music, the days will be full of touring musicians and Louisiana acts playing music of all kinds. Plus, there’s a kids’ tent, an interview stage, culinary stage, parades and performances in the Folklife Village.
This year’s fest is highlighting Jamaica, with performances in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion and on other stages, New Orleans restaurant Afrodisiac serving Jamaican dishes, folk parades and artists demonstrating their craft.
Single-day tickets and weekend passes are still available, and Louisiana residents will find cheaper prices. Read more about those details and some of the festival’s policies here.
In the articles below, Gambit previews the second weekend out at Jazz Fest 2026. There are interviews with The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes, New Breed Brass Band and our cover feature Robin Barnes. We make our recommendations for musicians to see and give an overview of the programs giving local kids and teens stage time at Jazz Fest. And if you grab a print copy of this week’s issue, there’s also a pullout section with a map of the grounds and the daily “cube” schedules.
For Jazz Fest info, head to nojazzfest.com. And keep up with Gambit’s daily coverage from the fest here and on our social media pages.
Remember to wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water. Happy Festin’!
Widespread Panic, Lettuce, Steve Masakowski & Family, Leela James, Fred Wesley and more to see at Jazz Fest.
Lainey Wilson, Ziggy Marley, Rickie Lee Jones, Big Chief Juan Pardo and more to see Friday, May 1.
Eagles, Little Feat, T-Pain, Mia Borders, Leo Nocentelli and more play Jazz Fest on May 2.
Capturing family traditions.
Jazz Fest 2026 closes with performances by Mavis Staples, Teddy Swims, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lila Iké and more.
Tips on how to get to Jazz Fest.
See the next generation of New Orleans performers.
Previewing the Jamaican focus at this year’s Jazz Fest.
Eight days of music, food and New Orleans culture.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
