Today our first Jazz Fest visitors wandered into the office, and if this year is like any other, this is the tip of the iceberg.

For the next couple of weeks, we’ll get to see folks we haven’t seen since last year: OffBeat subscribers, music biz people, music “friends,” newcomers to the city. They are all united as a worldwide community by one thing: our music.

Jazz Fest is inarguably the high point of festival season in New Orleans. It’s the granddaddy of music festivals, not just in New Orleans, but really, nationwide. Before there was Bonnaroo or Coachella or Telluride or Voodoo or Buku or a Jam Cruise or any of those upstarts, Jazz Fest was the be-all, end-all festival; the one to emulate.

But it’s not just the music that has made Jazz Fest such a special event. Jazz Fest has successfully taken a passion for New Orleans music and culture and has created a unique community of people from around the world who are united by a love of our music. They’re here to slather themselves in everything New Orleans: the food, the architecture, the history, the people, the shopping, the vibe. But first and foremost, they’re here to love and experience the music. There’s something about Jazz Fest that created a phenomenal festival community, and it continues to expand and grow, even unto second and third generations.

In a way, the Jazz Fest is a microcosm of what makes New Orleans so special in and of itself. There’s a community of people here who actually care about each other, who communicate deeply via the language of music.

Nobody feels crappy during Jazz Fest; it’s such a happy time. Music makes us festers happy campers. Doesn’t our music make you feel that way too?