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Jazz Fest competes in growing of music festival circuits

Jazz Fest competes in growing of music festival circuits
Jazz Fest competes in growing of music festival circuits
Google Image/ Southern Comfort

Every year, there’s always news about a music festival that will be taking place somewhere in the states. People gather around one city just to attend certain events to follow their favorite music artists. It may work great for a festival that includes genres like rock, hip-hop; alternatives just to name a few. But what about something more chill? Jazz Fest anyone?

A brief history lesson before we get started. The festival was founded by the New Orleans Hotel Motel Association; and formed "the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation" that owns the Festival. Since 1970, it has been held annually. Jazz Fest is an annual celebration that focuses on music and the culture of New Orleans and Louisiana. The festival normally begins the last weekend of April till the first weekend of May. You’re in luck everyone; Jazz Fest is around the corner.

The Advocate reported yesterday that Jazz Fest is not the biggest or highest grossing like the other music festivities. It was also reported that it might not be known to many of the younger music fans. Jazz Fest producer, Quint Davis mentions that the festival has to balance its desire and continue to stay rooted in New Orleans. It would also need to adapt to the ever-changing scenes of festivals.

“We have to ensure that the festival doesn’t wander, waiver or fall out of style because New Orleans has a culture.” Said Davis, chief executive officer of Festival Productions Inc. "It’s not rooted in pop fads. It’s not going in and out of style. It’s timeless.”

It’s been reported that Coachella and Austin City Limits tickets sold over $32-67 Million last year. Making those the top two popular festivals, while Bonnaroo, an on-site camping festival about an hour south of Nashville, often sells out before they announce their lineup. Coachella and Bonnaroo are known for presenting alternative, rock music and jam bands. Which makes their lineups way more diverse, but somewhat similar to each other.

“Everybody’s chasing the same acts,” said Gary Bongiovanni, president and chief executive officer of Pollstar. “Some of the festivals, they are giant talent magnets. A lot of people want to play those fests from the very beginning. And they’ll pencil them in.”

There’s more to Jazz Fest than meets the eye ... or should we also say ears. Jazz Fest is not just a celebration of musicians and their music. It’s a celebration of the entire city’s culture. In addition to the festival's excellent art and music, there's also NOLA's world famous food.

Food is the key to anyone’s heart and soul. The food is not your typical “festival food” like the basic popcorn, nachos, and candy, just the basic. Jazz Fest offers the good stuff that’ll keep you asking for more with such items like; crawfish, Cajun jambalaya just to name a few. You’ll have more options to choose from with over 70 food vendors.

Jazz Fest is long from going extinct, but compared to most other festivals it caters more towards the older audiences. Will Jazz Fest get its groove back? Or will it continue to be a very cool and chill event to enjoy good music instead of chasing celebrities?