Real Estate Information Archive

The 42^nd annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is scheduled to take place from April 27 through May 6, 2012. Widely considered one of the country’s finest music festivals, the seven-day New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival upholds a long tradition of celebrating American culture with soul-stirring music, delicious cuisine, artisan goods, and community spirit.

Each year, more than 400,000 people flock to the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans to take in this unforgettable festival. In 2004, the Wall Street Journal said the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival “showcases a wider, deeper lineup of essential American musical styles than any festival in the nation.” It’s still true! In addition to traditional and contemporary jazz music, the festival features music from all of the indigenous and cultural genres of Louisiana and New Orleans, including blues, R&B, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, Afro-Caribbean, folk, Latin, rock, rap, country, and bluegrass. But, of course, music isn’t the only thing the festival has to offer.

Celebrating Louisiana’s heritage is a major focus of the popular, seven-day festival. In the Louisiana Folklife Village, visitors can watch master artisans create meticulously crafted goods using generations-old techniques. From handcrafted accordions and water-ready skiffs to decorative iron pieces and papier-mâché floats, you’ll be amazed at what you find in the Folklife Village. In The Cultural Exchange Pavilion, spectators will get an insider’s peek into the creative and communal culture of the Mardi Gras Indians.

In addition to its special exhibits, educational seminars, and musical showcases, the festival features a wide array of foods and crafts for purchase. From eclectic delights to traditional favorites, there’s sure to be something for everyone! This year, J&M Seafood will serve up shucked oysters on the half shell at the Grandstand, while Heritage Square will play host to Vietnamese cuisine, crawfish bisque, barbeque pork ribs, beignets, café au lait, and old-fashioned handmade ice cream sandwiches. Hungry eaters can also find Louisiana’s famous sweet potato pie in Congo Square. Other goodies offered at the festival will include gyro sandwiches, crawfish strudel, creole’s stuffed bread, Cuban sandwiches, Jamaican chicken, gelato, homemade pies, and more.

Visitors can also purchase handcrafted clothing, leather goods, musical instruments, paintings, photographs, sculpture, jewelry, and more from local, national, and international artisans at booths throughout the festival. Louisiana’s finest traditional and contemporary artists will display their unique cultural pieces in the Louisiana Marketplace, while the Congo Square African Marketplace will showcase work from throughout the African Diaspora.

With all this exciting festival has to offer, it’s no wonder the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has won Festival of the Year time and time again. This year, join the fun! Tickets are on sale now! To purchase, visit http://www.nojazzfest.com/.

The countdown to the French Quarter Festival, widely considered the largest FREE music festival in the South, has begun! Scheduled to take place from April 12 through April 15, 2012, the 29^th annual French Quarter Festival will feature more than 800 musicians on 22 stages, more than 65 restaurants, innumerable special events, a variety of local goods, and lots of opportunities for family fun. The four-day community festival takes place throughout New Orleans’ historic French Quarter.

More than 250,000 people visit the festival each year to experience some of the finest food and jazz New Orleans has to offer. From crawfish and goat cheese crepes to sweet potato pie and boudin balls, the French Quarter Festival has all your Cajun and Southern favorites. Foodies will enjoy delectable treats like grilled chicken livers with pepper jelly and Oysters Bonne Femme from some of New Orleans’ favorite dine-in restaurants, including Antoine’s, Desire Oyster Bar, The Bombay Club, and Muriel’s. At only $4 to $8 per menu item, participants can afford to try a variety of items.

Musical lineups will include 2012 Grammy winners, Rebirth Brass Brand; New Orleans’ favorites Troy ‘Trombone Shorty’ Andrews and Orleans Avenue, and Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington; as well as the Royal Southern Brotherhood with Cyril Neville; Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders; Deacon John; New Orleans Bingo! Show; George Porter, Jr. and his Runnin’ Pardners; Papa Grows Funk; Gina Brown & Anutha Level; the Iguanas; Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra; Jeremy Davenport; Soul Rebels; Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys; and Bill Summers & Jazalsa.

Other festival offerings include free Cajun Jitterbug, Zydeco, and Swing dance lessons; a parade, a battle of the bands, an opera, children’s activities, and the Pirates Alley Juried Art Show, which features original artwork from more than 100 artists. The Rouses World Championship Crawfish Eating Contest will take place at noon on Saturday the 14^th. Especially exciting is the return of the fireworks show over the Mississippi. Set to take place at 9 p.m. on Saturday the 14^th, the fireworks show will be the first one since 2005. For information on festival events, rules, parking, and shuttle rides, visit http://www.fqfi.org/frenchquarterfest/.