New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

From New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Website:

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell is a joyous and spirited celebration showcasing the authentic music and heritage of Louisiana and New Orleans. It began in 1970 when 350 musicians entertained a crowd half that number in New Orleans' Congo Square. Now presenting its 51st event, the Festival is one of the most prestigious and well-attended in the nation, attracting hundreds of thousands of people annually.

The Festival is owned by The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc., a Louisiana non-profit corporation organized to preserve and promote the music, arts, culture and heritage indigenous to Louisiana and the New Orleans area. A two-weekend event featuring fourteen stages of music, plus art and traditional food, this outdoor daytime celebration is held on the park-like infield and in the grandstand area of the historic Fair Grounds Race Course. The Crafts Fairs present works by some of Louisiana's and the nation's most talented artisans participating in three tented areas - Contemporary Crafts, Louisiana Marketplace, and Congo Square African Marketplace.

The Congo Square African Marketplace is named in honor of the historic New Orleans landmark and site of the very first Jazz Fest. The highly competitive juried area will accept approximately fifty Artists and Vendors each weekend. Artists make handcrafted contributions to the art of the Diaspora, while Vendors present traditional handcrafted art from the African continent.