In an announcement posted to social media, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation announced that Jazz Fest will not be held in October 2021 due to rising cases of COVID-19. The festival will be postponed until the spring of 2022.

An official announcement stated: “As a result of the current exponential growth of new COVID cases in New Orleans and the region and the ongoing health emergency, we must sadly announce that the 2021 edition of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, scheduled to take place October 8–17, 2021, will not occur as planned. We now look forward to next spring when we will present the Festival during its traditional timeframe. Next year’s dates are April 29–May 8, 2022.

Jazz Fest canceled in 2020 due to rising rates of COVID-19. Slated for April 2020, fans expected to see performances from The Who, Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Lizzo, Lionel Richie and more. This year, Foo Fighters and Stevie Nicks were slated to return with an additional Rolling Stones performance amongst many others.

“Ticket holders to both Festival weekends (including those that rolled over their tickets from 2020) will receive an email this week with details about a ticket refund and rollover process. All Wednesday, October 13 tickets will be automatically refunded.

“In the meantime, we urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials, so that we can all soon experience together the joy that is Jazz Fest.”

This is a developing story. OffBeat will continue to provide updates.