Have you ever wondered when, exactly, you saw this or that artist at Jazz Fest? Have you and a friend ever debated which stages played host to legends like Allen Toussaint, Al Hirt, Mahalia Jackson or Pete Fountain?
There’s no need to wonder any longer.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive has launched a website that will jog your memory and settle all your debates. Dubbed the “Jazz Fest Database,” the new resource features any easy-to-search well of information on every Jazz Fest performance since the event’s first edition in 1970. Compiled from 48 years worth of Jazz Fest Program Books, the database offers various details—dates, times, stages and other notes—on all of the fest’s past acts.
At the very least, the Jazz Fest Database offers a fascinating look at the evolution of the festival, from the types of artists booked to the fluctuating stage names (S.S. Admiral Stage, anyone? How about the WVUE/Burger King Stage?).
In any case, Jazz Fest will return to the Fair Grounds Race Course on April 28-30 and May 4-7. If you’d like to see an even more in-depth look at all of the artists who will be there this year, you can check out our 2017 Jazz Fest A to Z Guide.