The Instigation Festival is coming back to New Orleans for a week of improvised music and dance experience. The festival will launch on Monday, February 11 and continue until Friday, February 15.

Instigation Festival is an annual festival in New Orleans and Chicago that brings together artists and creates a fun and open environment to explore improv. Steve Marquette, guitarist, and Marie Casimir, producer, began the festival in 2016 and have grown it over the last few years. The festival has brought together over 50 artists in both cities, revealing the rich diversity in both Chi Town and NOLA. Co-founding and producing the festival together since the start, both Marquette and Casimir have deep connections to Chicago.

The festival will take place at a number of different venues throughout the city. The venues each year include anything from Jazz and nightclubs, bars, community spaces, backyards and larger performance areas. This year the festival will begin at Sidebar and move to Hi-Ho Lounge, New Quorum, Allways Lounge, and finish at the Art Garage.

Instigation Festival grabs performers from all corners of the art world to put on a week long show that attracts every improv lover. Hamid Drake, an American jazz drummer, will put on a striking performances throughout the week at multiple venues. Joe McPhee, jazz multi-instrumentalist, will perform at two of the five days of the festival.

For a list of 2019’s festival schedule, click here. For more information about the festival, click here.