The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has been called off for a second time.
On Sunday (Aug. 8), organizers of the annual Louisiana festival — which was scheduled to take place over two weekends from Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 15-17 — announced the event’s cancellation, citing safety and health concerns related to COVID-19.
“As a result of the current exponential growth of new COVID cases in New Orleans and the region and the ongoing public health emergency, we must sadly announce that the 2021 edition of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, scheduled to take place October 8–17, 2021, will not occur as planned,” the statement said.
This year’s Jazz Fest, which annually celebrates the culture and heritage of New Orleans and Louisiana alongside performances by national and international artists, boasted a lineup including Foo Fighters, Lizzo, Demi Lovato, H.E.R. and Brandi Carlile, among many others.
This isn’t the first time Jazz Fest has been impacted by COVID-19. The 2020 edition of the festival — which traditionally takes place at the end of April and early May for eight days — was also canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We now look forward to next spring, when we will present the festival during its traditional timeframe,” organizers said on Sunday, adding that next year’s dates are scheduled for April 29-May 8.
Ticketholders for both 2021 festival weekends will receive an email this week with details about refunds and the rollover process for next year, according to organizers. Tickets for Oct. 13 will be automatically refunded.
Jazz Fest is a co‐production between AEG Presents and Festival Productions, Inc.‐New Orleans.
See the festival’s full cancellation statement below.
