New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the annual event celebrating the city's and home state's music and culture, has postponed its 2020 edition due to the growing coronavirus global pandemic, organizers announced Tuesday (March 17). Originally scheduled for this spring across two four-day weekends (April 23-26 and April 30-May 3), the event has been postponed until fall. New festival dates and additional details will be announced soon, according to festival organizers.
In a message posted on the festival's official website and social media accounts, festival organizers announced the postponement of this year's event, noting the decision came "At the direction of City of New Orleans authorities, in response to ongoing COVID-19 health concerns."
"The health and safety of the community, our musicians, Festival fans, participants, sponsors and staff are paramount, and we urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials," the statement read.
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This past January, the festival announced its 2020 lineup, which originally included Foo Fighters, Lizzo, The Who, Erykah Badu, Stevie Nicks, H.E.R., the Beach Boys, Maggie Rogers, Tank and the Bangas and several others. The festival has not yet announced any potential lineup changes or artist cancellations due to the rescheduled event dates.
All tickets purchased for the original spring dates will be honored for the rescheduled fall dates. No information regarding refunds has been announced yet.
The 2020 postponement marks the first time the festival has ever rescheduled the event outside of its annual springtime slot, according to The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate.
Originally launched in 1970, New Orleans Jazz Fest celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. The fest brings an estimated economic impact of $300 million to the city’s cultural economy, according to The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate.
The cancellation news follows other festivals and major events in the New Orleans area that have been postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus, including Buku Music + Arts Project and French Quarter Festival. The 2020 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture, set to take place in July in New Orleans, is confirmed to move forward as planned.
New Orleans Jazz Fest is the latest major festival to be cancelled or postponed this year due to the global coronavirus pandemic. This month alone, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, Coachella and Stagecoach, Ultra Music Festival, SXSW, Lollapalooza Argentina, Something In The Water, Treefort Music Fest, Afro Nation Puerto Rico, Brussels' Listen! Festival, Record Store Day and several other major events and festivals around the world were called off or rescheduled due to the coronavirus.
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