Dates: April 24 to 26 and April 30 to May 3, 2009 Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m
Locations: Fair Grounds Race Course, centrally located at 1751 Gentilly Boulevard, 10 minutes from the French Quarter. map

This is the 40th Anniversary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. 2 weekends of music, food and fun over two consecutive weekends. From Acappella to Zydeco

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival or as the locals call it, Jazz Fest, recently announced its 2009 lineup A thousand or more musical and performance artists in a wide variety of genres from accapella to zydeco and everything in between. Gospel, R&B, hip hop, urban contemporary, country & western, soul, rock & roll, Cajun, funk, African, Latin, Caribbean, folk and – of course – jazz. Traditional (Dixieland) jazz, modern jazz, brass band jazz, bebop jazz and big band jazz.

This year’s Jazz-Fest will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 24-26; then it resumes Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 30-May 3.

All JazzFest concerts take place at the historic Fair Grounds Race Course. Eleven stages of simultaneous music programming are complemented by an unparalleled Food Fair offering more than 100 varieties of authentic Louisiana cuisine and a variety crafts available around the grounds in the Festival’s juried crafts areas.

Throughout the festival there will be second line parades and other local cultural events, including Mardi Gras Indians strutting their stuff in full, colorful regalia of feathers, sequins, beads and makeup.

Information and tickets to the 2009 JazzFest
www.nojazzfest.com

Date: April 17 18 19th, 2009
Location: Between Bourbon Street and Royal Street and Riverfront Park

The French Quarter Festival won it’s second award in the new year after being named Best Festival at last night’s Business Awards Ceremony. As it was chosen by offBeat readers, French Quarter Festival was named Best Festival.

Preparations are underway for 2009, which will celebrate 26 years of showcasing the finest music, food and culture this unique festival is the best New Orleans event has to offer.

The award-winning festival is a favorite of locals and tourists and is the largest free music festival in the South.

It was named a Top 10 Event by New Orleans CityBusiness Newspaper and is a Top 20 Destination according to AAA and the Southeast Tourism Society. French Quarter Festival attracted approximately 435,000 fans.

Over 18 stages in prime locations throughout the French Quarter present over 250 hours of the best music New Orleans has to offer with 450 musicians representing every genre from traditional and contemporary jazz and blues and New Orleans funk, to brass bands, folk, gospel, Latin, classical and international music.

More than 70 food and beverage booths located in Jackson Square, Woldenberg Riverfront Park and the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint will feature authentic local cuisine from the area’s finest restaurants.

For more information
www.fqfi.org

Date: October 9th and 10th
Location: Aruba Entertainment Center

The 8th Annual Aruba Music Festival is held at the Aruba Entertainment Center, which is located 5 minutes by car from downtown Oranjestad, and 15 minutes from the hotel district.

The intimate outdoor venue offers visitors great sound quality and unobstructed view from any seat.

Add to this the wonderful sights and sounds of Aruba, and you are sure to enjoy this truly unique concert experience.

The Aruba Music Festival is one of the longest running festivals in the world, dating back to the 1980s.

Offical website aruba.com/amf/