BudgetQueen

Anyone have any inside information on the Jazz Fest this year?? Will be my 4th year going, and all prior years, have had the cheap presale tickets available along with the basic schedule in January. Nothing in sight on the official web page. Any idea when it 's going to be up?

I already have the hotel and my time blocked out at work, I'm ready to go!!!!!!

nola77382

http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.s..._to_featu.html

Line up came out Wednesday. I'm excited to see Jimmy Buffet is back!

BlueSwimmer

I've been going for almost 20 years, and thought I had Jazzfest down pat, but last year our taxi driver told us about a food item we had never tried. It turned out to be the best thing ever- crawfish strudel. Wow! My new Jazzfest mantra is to try something new everyday instead of sticking with my traditional favorites. I can't wait!!!

sf7307

We went last year and missed that -- but the food at JazzFest is fantastic!!

olive22

BudgetQueen - where do you recommend staying and how do you get from the hotel to the jazz fest?? We have our flights and time off, but I'm struggling with where to stay (looking for nice but not extravagant - have stayed @ the Hotel Pelham - any thoughts??) and how to actually get to the fairgrounds! Also - what ticket package do you get? Just the normal or do you do one of the pricier packages? We're going the first weekend - cannot wait!!

BlueSwimmer

I like the Hotel Provincial in the French Quarter- nice enough but not too fancy, nice pools and courtyards for hanging out, good location.

Getting there:

We walk to the fest via Esplanade (we are into hiking so don't mind the miles- I think it is 3 from the quarter to the fairgrounds and we don't feel afraid going through transitional neighborhoods because we lived in one ourselves.) It's a great way to see another side of New Orleans. There's a nice coffee shop along the way, and some gorgeous homes and B&Bs on Esplanade, along with some harsher reality.

If this isn't your cup of tea (and it can be hard on the legs and feet when you do all the walking from stage to stage at the fest too), taxis are plentiful and charge a flat event rate.

There is also a bus company that has a package deal, as well as city busses and the streetcar. This website has good information on various options: http://jazzfest.swagland.com/transport.html

sf7307

Adding to BlueSwimmer's reply, we bought "regular" tickets (in advance, but just the daily ticket), no special package. Unless it's important to you to sit in a special reserved area, I don't see how the VIP packages make sense.

Two other things...we bought folding chairs at CVS for $10 when we arrived and brought them with us every day-- made life very comfortable. (We left them there at the end). Second, you might want to consider wearing rainboots (that's what all the young women seem to wear), but in any event, wear footwear that you don't mind getting muddy, because if it rains, it WILL be muddy. Side note to that -- we were lucky re weather last year, until the skies opened and it poured on the last day of the first weekend. I bought a poncho at Jazz Fest, but you could bring one instead (it didn't occur to me), and just stayed outside listening to music in the rain.

njlorelei

Hotels I recommend are Hotel Monteleone, Bienville House, and Omni Royal Orleans. They are all nicer hotels at not too high of a price and all in great locations.

As for getting from FQ to JF we usually just take the streetcar or public bus up Canal to the end of the line. You can even buy a multi-day pass at a good price and rides are unlimited so you can use it to check out the Garden District or other things besides JF transportation.

travelerusa

I have severall friends p***** at me for inviting them in the past for Jazzfest when i lived there. A word of caution....it is an over crowded venue held in the middle of a horse track...and yes the horse s*** is there along with the hay. It is held in the rainy season, and is subject to torrential downpours which flood the racetrack and you end up in 2 feet fo brown h***e s***T skin to skin with people who have not used deodrant for some time.

Short of spending hundreds of dollars on a VIP ripoff ticket, you may end up in a hot tent in row 200 trying to see the performance but instead viewing the rear end and colorful hat of aunt martha weaving back and forth.

Food is best described as excellent....under the influence of copius amounts of liquor. Your hot, sweaty and thirty...what wouldnt taste good with a beer. Yes Crawfish Monica is great, but bring your ATM card to fund the removal cash from your wallet...and it wasn't a 5 star restaurant you lost your savings over....it as a open air tent with minimal health inspection oversight!

So given this knowledge, you are forewarned as to what your experience might be. There is plenty of ganja waffing around for you to soak up to help soften the edges.

The better venue is French Quarter Fest...the locals best kept secret.

If "Woodstock" is your cup of tea, then you will be (literally) in pig heaven....especially if it rains bloody well!

sf7307

JazzFest was one of the best times I've had in years. TravelerUSA is the first person I've ever heard speak poorly of it. What's a little mud?

travelerusa

... mixed in with horse manure!

My biggest complaint is that for the money you pay, you may be very dissapointed with what you get.

The event has TOTALLY outgrown the venue. I've been several times but it is not the same thing anymore. It used to be a lot more fun when you could lay down a blanket and have friends join you. Now it is all arranged sitting in the tents, and way over crowded with terrible views and people do not give up their chairs. Many locals high tail it out of town to avoid the "disruption"

As I said, if you would have liked Woodstock...you will like this.

sf7307

Travelerusa, I'm sorry, but I still have to disagree. We went from venue to venue last year, some of which were in tents/structures with chairs and bleachers, some of which were at outdoor stages where we just found a spot for our chairs. Lots of people were on spread-out blankets. The only "events" that were overcrowded were the headliners -- Pearl Jam last year was crazy. Compared to the price of concerts in the Bay Area, $45 for a full day of a vast variety of quality music is cheap.

BigRuss

We went to Austin City Limits in '09 when it rained and turned the park to mud, as travelerusa is describing the Jazz Fest venue. If the forecast hints at rain, then get a covered folding chair at Target/Walmart -- we did for ACL and that turned out to be a brilliant move.

And no, I dunno what was mixed with the hay and grass at Zilker Park then either. Best not to cogitate on it.

travelerusa

I wasn't there last year. I dont go anymore...but if you enjoy it...then great. I'm just pointing out some of the negs. There are a lot of great places to visit in the U.S. and lots of other music events that I think are far superior.....again just my opinion from my experiences.

sf7307

>>

Ha ha - what you don't know won't hurt you, huh?

sf7307

travelerusa, you're absolutely entitled to your opinion, but your opinion was SO negative, that I felt I had to report my experience, which was MUCH more positive!

nola77382

I'm a little late to this but I just wanted to add a comment. I stopped going to Jazz Fest for awhile because of the crowds but have been back since 2006 and love it. It is one of the best festivals around for the money. It doesn't always rain but somehow, when it does, it can add to the experience. Just be prepared with ponchos. Wander, try the food--which is generally excellent (I don't even drink alcohol at the fest), dance with the groups roaming the grounds, stand way in the back to hear Pearl Jam! Jimmy Buffett! Neville Brothers! or get in close for the gospel acts or Mardi Gras Indians or soul music. There is so much to do and so much to see that how you experience it is entirely up to you. It can be a royal pain--I'm looking at you chairs with canopies up all during the performances, crowds, lines--but so worth it! Have fun, don't stress out, go with the flow--that's what Jazz Fest is all about. And as you exit, stop and listen to the street musicians, usually kids, who are practicing on their instruments for your tips. That's New Orleans!

lady_di

Does anyone have experience with the Jazzfest Express? It seems pricey, but you can purchase the passes on Ticketmaster along with the tickets, and it seems like the convenience would be worth it. I'd appreciate hearing how it all works.

njlorelei

We took the JazzFest Express bus the first couple years we went to JazzFest. It is more expensive than most other modes of transport but it is convenient. There are certain pick up points, one is usually the Sheraton on Canal I think. The buses run continously so you never have to wait long to get on one. They take you inside the gates at Jazzfest so you get off the bus and just walk right in. Leaving is just as easy. If it's your first time and you aren't comfortable taking public transportation, walking, or grabbing a cab it's probably your best option.

lady_di

Thank you. That was what I wanted to know. We're going in May and I can't wait!