Described by their own tourism website, New Orleans is the festival capital of the world. In summer, the city comes alive with music, art, food and community as the city hosts a number of diverse events.
New Orleans is a city famous for it's rich musical history. Home to Jazz and Blues music, the city attracts thousands of musicians from all over the world to immerse themselves in the culture. Around the end of April and the start of May annually, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is probably the most famous music festival in the city, however there are a number of smaller gatherings which are also dripping with New Orleans' rich musical chemistry.
The ESSENCE festival runs annually around the end of June or the start of July, and is a fantastic place to experience R&B, hip-hop, jazz and blues, and is an excellent showcase of African American music culture aimed at empowering African American people with seminars and festivities. Alongside the music, there are also arts and crafts, DJ sets, parties, comedians and public speakers.
The Voodoo Music and Arts Experience is an annual weekend long event in City Park celebrating music, food and craft. There is a large focus on smaller and local musical talent as the festival begins each day with some of the more unheard of artists to help them gain exposure and to introduce attendees to new music, and the festivities continue long into the night. This takes place in late October.
Another one of the larger names in the New Orleans festival calendar is the Satchmo SummerFest. Named after the New Orleans born musician Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong whose contributions to the Jazz scene changed the style of the genre as we know it, this is a three day outdoor concert celebrating everything to do with Jazz music and culture. As well as the music performances, there are Jazz exhibits, a second line parade, music history seminars and lots of local food. This takes place in early August yearly, coinciding with the anniversary of Armstrong's birthday.
For those looking for something a little different, the Bayou Boogaloo festival is a free event that takes place along Bayou Said John. Like most festivals in New Orleans, this is a celebration of music, food, art and culture, and lasts for three days in May every year. Being a free event, attendees can relax in the casual atmosphere and stroll between stages and exhibits. A large portion of proceeds from food and craft sales go towards charitable organisations.
Another free event the city hosts is the Ponderosa Stomp. Named after the song by Lazy Lester, this event focusses on the “unsung heroes and heroines of rock-n-roll, rhythm and blues and other forms of American Roots music while they are still alive”. Largely Louisiana residents, these musicians perform between the two weekends of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, adding deeper cuts to the already very cultural event. This is hosted at the House Of Blues in the French Quarter.