The French Quarter Festival has been canceled due to rising numbers of COVID-19 infections in Louisiana. In partnership with its corporate sponsor, Chevron, festival organizers plan to distribute relief funds for musicians affected by the cancellation.
In a statement released on Friday morning, organizers announced that the three-day event scheduled for September 30 – October 2, will no longer be moving forward: “As the state of Louisiana and our nation see a precipitous rise in COVID cases, we must put the health, safety and wellbeing of our entire family first—our fans, musicians, staff, volunteers, sponsors, and partners, as well as the residents and businesses in the French Quarter. It is with great sadness that we must cancel French Quarter Festival 2021 but look forward to celebrating next spring as we return to the stage April 21-24, 2022.”
“After careful consideration and with consultation from a host of experts including City and State officials, we concluded this was the best decision for the safety and security of our community,” said Emily Madero, CEO of French Quarter Festivals, Inc. “We share the heartbreak this announcement brings to our fans, musicians, food vendors, and our broader community and we look forward to returning stronger together April 21-24, 2022 for French Quarter Festival!”
French Quarter Festivals, Inc. said it is committed to contributing to the resilience of New Orleans and to bringing back the largest showcase of Louisiana music, food and culture in the spring 2022. “With the welcomed support of our presenting partner, Chevron, we’re pleased to announce that we will be providing critical relief payments for roughly 1,500 musicians and gig workers who lost work due to our 2021 festival cancellation.”
“We thank the French Quarter Festival team for putting the safety of the public first and for quickly developing this special program,” said Leah Brown, Public Affairs Manager for Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. “This initiative will offer some financial support to local musicians and the gig community who have brought great joy to the people of the Crescent City. We hope our funding will assist these incredible artists during this challenging time. Chevron looks forward to continuing our long-standing sponsorship of French Quarter Festival and celebrating at the in-person event when it can be safely held in the future.”
Organizers said they “will continue to assess the ever-changing environment and apply the many lessons we have learned over the last two years to all of our 2022 events, including French Quarter Festival, Satchmo SummerFest, and Holidays New Orleans Style.”
Numerous mass gatherings slated for the fall have been canceled in recent weeks, including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, White Linen Night, Gretna Heritage Festival and the Red Dress Run.
This a developing story. OffBeat will continue to provide updates.
