This is a festival full of all things Louisiana: jazz, blues, gospel, brass bands, zydeco, Mardi Gras Indians, handmade art and authentic Cajun cuisine. 

The spirit of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has vibrated through the city for over 50 years. In April 1970, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, along with other musicians, established the festival as a nonprofit organization with the help of George Wein, the creator of the Newport Folk Festival. Only 350 people attended the inaugural festival, held in 1972. But over the last half-century, Jazz Fest has become an iconic cultural phenomenon that brings close to 500,000 people to the oldest fairgrounds in America. The crowds at Jazz Fest are not to be underestimated; by 3 p.m., there are double the number of people compared to the morning lineup. On Saturday, April 27, I was one of many attendees able to spend an entire day experiencing all Jazz Fest has to offer. 

The festival is known for its music and award-winning food. Specialty food stations line the festival, and individual cart vendors disperse throughout the grounds. Some of the most popular vendors have a large number of returning customers each year. Dishes like the Cochon de Lait po-boy — slow-cooked pork in a fluffy French roll smothered with homemade coleslaw — always have a line.

New this year was an eye-catching yellow umbrella sculpted by a local Colombian American artist. The umbrella sat at the center of the festival near the Cultural Exchange Pavilion, which is sponsored by Expedia. Unpredictable New Orleans weather can disrupt festival goers, but this piece of functional artwork casts enough shade for three dozen people.

Across from the umbrella towards the center of the fairgrounds is the Louisiana Folklife Village, brightly decorated and alive with music. A new tent in the exhibit this year is dedicated to the 1984 Louisiana World Expedition in New Orleans and honors the fair’s 40th anniversary. 

Walking through the Louisiana Folklife Village, visitors witness blacksmiths, ironworkers, musicians, and Black-Masking Indians creating their beaded suits. This experience celebrates the melting pot of culture rooted deep within New Orleans.

Outside the Folk Village, the Congo Square totems direct visitors to the massive Congo Square Stage, the second-largest stage at the festival.  

Many fest-goers have traditionally attended the festival with the same group of people for several years. They hold up flags or poles with their distinct mascot, helping their friends locate one another. Walking around, you will likely see more than one person burdened with carrying their group pole around for the day with anything from a university flag to a pig mask with makeup and sunglasses above their head. 

Beverage vendors throughout the grounds provide bottled refreshments and homemade treats. Fest-goers can get a bottle of water or a can of soda from the non-alcoholic refreshment stations. However, select liquor companies like Tito’s use promotional tents to attract customers. Canned wine, beer and premade daiquiris are also available alongside most water stands. Despite the relatively quick lines to grab a beverage, vendors wearing orange shirts and holding “Beer” signs pull wagons closer to the stages, hoping to catch the customers reluctant to leave the live music performers. 

For some fest-goers, the Crawfish Monica is truly the main event. In the 1980s, New Orleans native chef Pierre “Pete” Hilzim created Crawfish Monica. As a young couple, he and his wife Monica Davidson sold homemade pasta in Uptown. Pete created a dish combining the thick, creamy base of a white fettuccine alfredo sauce with spicy cajun flavors and fresh crawfish. Monica approved, and Crawfish Monica was born. Despite copycat recipes that have circulated for decades, Jazz Fest is one of the only places to get the original dish.

Grammy-winning Festival Stage headliner Chris Stapleton was set to go on at 5:20 p.m., but by 5:10 p.m., the crowd stretched from the stage to the grounds race track. He ended his set with his current most popular song, “Tennessee Whiskey,” accompanied by his wife, Morgane Stapleton. Vampire Weekend closed Saturday’s festival schedule at the Shell Gentilly stage, drawing a major audience. 

Behind the Festival Stage, you will find a dirt road that leads to Heritage Square. Heritage Square is situated between the Sauvage Pedestrian Entrance on Fortin Street and the racetrack bordering the festival. The square is occupied by contemporary crafts, art, food and frozen drinks. The Blues Tent — which was especially popular on Sunday — was the seated arena that held spectacular performances from popular artists like Charmain Neville and The Allman Brothers Band. 

Although exiting the festival at 7 p.m. is a dreaded time of day, the walk down North Lopez Street is a musical and cultural experience of its own. Local families and vendors line the street selling water, food and art, performing different statue acts and musical renditions on the outskirts of the festival grounds. Ubers don’t even bother driving down to the gates because pedestrians flood the roads. Since the first time I wandered the festival grounds in 2016, I have loved this festival and the indescribable experience found right here in New Orleans.