Bigfinish

Final thoughts on Jazz Fest 2023

by Jake Clapp

THE2023NEWORLEANSJAZZ&

HERITAGEFESTIVALWASBIG.There were bignames, bigmoments on stageand bigcrowds— and occasionally some biglines.

If last year’s Jazz Fest contended with themajor challenges of returningnearly three yearsafter itslast editiondue to thepandemic,thenJazzFestin 2023 showeditwas back on its feet andlookingtogrow. Andit did so throughsomechanges, with good-to-mixedresults

Rain hitacoupleofdays, but theweather wasmostlybeautiful, drawing outcrowdsfor performances by Lizzo, RobertPlant and AlisonKrauss,Wu-Tang Clan and theSoulRebels, Ed Sheeran, Mumford& Sons,Jon Batisteand many, many more.Therewere soft-shellcrabpo-boys,crawfish strudel,mango freeze,strawberry lemonade and enough good food to causea heart-attack

With sevendays’ worthofmusic, food andarts, therewas alot for people to take in.Sobeforewe saygood-bye to Jazz Fest 2023, we wanted to round-up some final observations about abig year on the Fair Grounds. Jazz Fest announced 460,000people attended this year’s eventand thefestivalwill return April 26 to May5,2024.

Here aresomethoughts from Jazz Fest 2023:

Cashlesswasamixedbag

Oneofthisyear’sbiggest changes wasthe festival’s decisiontogocashless.And at first, it did notgowellas food and drinklines pileduponopeningday whilevendors andattendees adjustedand dealtwithfrozencard readers.But thingssteadilygot better as thefestival went along

By theend of thefestival,some vendors seemed to have mixedfeelings about thenew system andwe hope that Jazz Fest will spendthe next year askingquestions to understand if cashless really is forthe best, andifso, howcan it be improved.

YOUPAIDWHATFORACOORS?!

Jazz Fest hasn’t been cheapfor a while, butitseemedlikepriceson theFairGrounds hitanew high this year.Partofthatisbecause of inflation and theprice of doingbusiness in 2023,but thecashless system also contributedtoit. Vendors are charged transactionfees— which manyincludedintotheir prices and taxeswereaddedontop.And

RESERVE SPACEBY: MAY19 ISSUE DATE: MAY30 that wasbeforeyou tipped when prompted on thecardreader.

JONBATISTE’SJOYOUS HOMETOWNRETURN

WhileJon Batistenow livesinNew York,itseemslikeNew Orleansis neverfar from hisheart.The Kenner native headlined thefestival’s second Friday —walkingout to amassive cheer from theFestivalStagecrowd —and rocked as perfect aJazzFest setasanyone would ever want.

Greenkrewe

This wasa relatively cleanJazzFest as compared to previous years. That wasdue to severalnew sustainabilityand recycling initiativesimplementedbythe Jazz Fest,including itsdedicated GreenKrewe.There were more recycling stations and arewards program incentivized attendees to grab agreen bag, collectcansand bottles and return them to designatedtents.The fields in frontofthe bigFestival and Congo Squarestagesstill looked like a hurricanehad passed through at the end of theday,but it wasnoticeably better than in previous years.

Creaturecomforts

Last year,JazzFestrolledout locationsfor free waterrefillsand free sunscreen. Thoselocations returned this year along with asmall peacegardenand asober-focused wellness tent —witha mocktail truckserving akiller non-alcoholic Cuba libre. We’d love to seethose optionscontinuetogrow. Andit also would be good to seethe festivaltakemeasures to bolsteraccess forattendees with mobility issues inside of thetentstages

Read alongerversionofthis article online at bestofneworleans.com.

ContactAdDirector SandyStein 504.483.3150 or sstein@gambitweekly.com

Becomeasupporter of local journalism today(or give amembership as agift) and youwill receive:

Gambit tote bag

Tickets to Gambit Movie Night, everymonth

Name listed monthly in print(optional) Additional perks and surprises throughout the year Starting at only$5 amonth (cancel anytime)

To join, visit: bestofneworleans.com/member

Introducing the revolutionary INJECTABLE WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM, specially designed to help you:

-achieve aguaranteed 20% total body weight loss of fat -prevent hypertension, heart disease, strokes, and renal disease -improve your overall health and well-being

Don’tlet excess weight hold youbackany longer. Call Dr.Joseph Gautreaux today 985-709-7093 •504-292-2129

Flexible hours &Saturdayappointments available