Crawfish bread, Cochon de Lait po’boy, boudin balls, catfish almondine, softshell crab po’boy, crawfish enchilada, crawfish strudel, rosemint herbal iced tea. And so much more food.

There is music, too. Lots of it. Eight days of it from 11am -7pm. 7 stages, 7 tents. Around 5,000 musicians make up around 600 different acts.

Yeah, you right, as the locals say. It’s Jazz Fest in New Orleans. If you’ve been, you know. If you haven’t, make plans for next year.

What started on April 22, 1970, in Beauregard Square, now known as Congo Square, had an attendance of about 350 people. More musicians and staff than attendees. Tickets were $3. Headliners were Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington, and Fats Domino. Other acts included Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, The Meters, and Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Jazz Fest 2026 was expected to draw nearly 500,000 people at the Fair Grounds Race Course, its home since 1972. And single-day tickets range from $109 to $170. Or $460 for a four-day weekend. Headliners included Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, David Byrne, and Eagles. But other acts include Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, Nas, Widespread Panic, Lainey Wilson, Alabama Shakes, and countless more.

Choosing what act to see and what food to eat is part of the fun. It’s impossible to do it all, but trying is what brings people back year after year.

I first attended Jazz Fest in 1998. Ticket prices were $20. It was the first time I saw a Jimmy Buffett concert live, too. I was hooked. As a parrothead and a Jazz Fest attendee.

My wife, Julie, grew up in New Orleans, and her dad worked for Shell, the sponsor for the event, giving her a much different experience attending Jazz Fest. She was able to enjoy the hospitality lounge and air-conditioned bathrooms. Her dad has since retired, and she now has to slum it with us regular folks.

Julie and I met in April of 2017, and the next month we attended our first Jazz Fest together. Dave Matthews Band and Wilco were playing at the same time, and I asked her which she would rather go see. She said Wilco. I knew then we were going to attend a lot of Jazz Fests together.

We haven’t missed a year yet. Even during the two years it was cancelled because of Covid, we enjoyed “Fest in Place,” broadcasts of past events on WWOZ. Some bands did live performances via Zoom. We hosted a backyard show at our house, giving New Orleans musician, Mike Doussan, a rare live audience during those challenging times.

Prices have gone up substantially since those pre-covid years, and as two public school teachers with four kids, we considered skipping our first Jazz Fest this year and attending the smaller, yet free, French Quarter Fest the weekend before Jazz Fest starts. But it would break our hearts to do so. Instead, we found a workaround. Volunteering.

Jazz Fest requires a volunteer force of nearly 1,000 people covering 3,500 4-hour shifts.

Julie had volunteered in the past and knew how it worked. You work a half-day shift and then enjoy the festival at your leisure for the rest of the day. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, with returning volunteers given priority. We submitted our applications the day it went live in late January, and luckily, since Julie previously volunteered, we were on the priority list.

Our shifts for the first weekend were 2pm - 6:30pm as ushers for the main tent performances — Economy, Gospel, Blues, and Jazz Tent. We could arrive as the gates opened, spend the morning before the crowds piled in, and then work the tents in the afternoon as music played on.

The first Saturday, April 25th, we were woken by our phones' emergency alert at 6:30am. We were under a tornado warning. Torrential downpours for about two hours. We knew from past experiences that this meant “Welcome to the Mud Pits.” Old-timers might recall the tradition of “mud sliding” during some of those swampy days. It has been many years since I’ve seen anyone do that, though.

By the time the gates opened, the rain had passed, the sun was out, and thanks to the recent drought and some changes implemented by the organizers, the grounds were relatively dry. Not the mud fest of years past that many had anticipated. We entered the Congo Stage area, and HaSizzle was already on stage, filling the fest with early morning New Orleans bounce music.

Typically, our first go-to is crawfish bread, but we heard some talk of the crawfish strudel. We split one. $13. Overstuffed, creamy crawfish filling, and a thin fried outer layer. The bread, while a classic staple, now has some serious competition. The strudel was so good, we got one on the second day too. And I’ll get one when I return for the second weekend.

We then headed to the Blues Tent for the Tin Men show. On the walk over, we saw the Ochsner Health free sunscreen dispensers. We lathered up. Throughout the day, I saw many people taking advantage of free sunscreen.

Tin Men is a trio. Matt Perrine on Sousaphone, Washboard Chaz, and Alex McMurray on vocals and guitar. Besides their original songs, they played some classic covers like Allen Toussaint’s “Got Me a New Love Thing.” You don’t have to wait until Jazz Fest to listen to these guys, though. They play every Monday at Fritzles from 5pm- 8pm. 

After that set, we walked across the fest grounds to the Gentilly stage for Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers. You may have heard this name before. His father was Rockin Dopsie, and after his father died in 1993, his brother, Rockin Dopsie Jr took over the band. Dwayne Dopsie leads his own band and has been called the “Jimi Hendrix of the Accordion." When you see him perform live, you’ll know why he got that name.

After that set, it was time to eat again: crawfish enchiladas and a Natchitoches meat pie, one of Louisiana’s official foods.

We made it to the Blues Tent to listen to Little Freddie King’s last song. Little Freddie King is a New Orleans Jazz Fest fixture, having played there for 42 years. Originally from McComb, Mississippi, Little Freddie King moved to New Orleans when he was 14 years old.

It was time to check in for our 2pm volunteer shift. Billy was our shift supervisor, and he asked for volunteers for each of the tents he ran. Julie and I were given the Jazz Tent. Our shift didn’t start until 3 pm, so we had about 30 minutes to explore more of the fest before getting to “work.”

We sat in the air-conditioned grandstand for that short break and listened to an interview by HaSizzle. We didn’t know who he was when we entered the fest earlier, but listening to him speak about his upbringing in the Calliope neighborhood and how he was surrounded by music at an early age, with block parties at the height of Master P’s popularity. Other famous artists from there are the Neville Brothers and The Dixie Cups.

HaSizzle spoke about the first time he visited New York. He was used to saying “Good morning” to people he passed in the street, but that was not received the same way there. He said, growing up in New Orleans, greeting strangers was expected, and he wasn’t aware that it wasn’t a common practice everywhere. He said that he hopes his music inspires people to “release their wiggle.” Get up, dance, enjoy yourself, and don’t hurt nobody.

The artist interviews in the grandstands are some of my favorite parts of Jazz Fest.

Our volunteer shift was to usher the aisles of the Jazz Tent and assist with ADA seating. Julie became fast friends with the security guard working the tent, Susan, and our shift supervisor, Joel. For those who don’t know Julie, she makes fast friends with nearly everyone she meets. That includes the beloved and legendary #37 Saints player, Steve Gleason. She helped seat him for the John Boutte show and, despite his debilitating battle with ALS, she was able to get a few smiles from him. Julie took a picture with her new “bestie,” as did several people nearby in attendance.

John Boutte, born and raised in New Orleans 7th Ward, is often acknowledged by Offbeat magazine’s Best of the Best as “Best Male Vocalist,” and many people may recognize his name from writing the theme song to the television show Treme.

Dave Koz was next. I don’t have the words to describe the energy this band brought. Neither Julie nor I had ever heard of him before, but they took the stage in brightly colored suits and didn’t stop entertaining the crowd until the horns blew their last note.

Our shift ended at 6:30pm, giving us just enough time to turn in our vests and catch the last few songs of one of Saturday night’s headliners, Tyler Childers. Stevie Nicks was on the main stage, and the crowd was massive. We were able to avoid that by walking along the racetrack to get to the Gentilly Stage for the Childers set.

During Childers' song, “House Fire,” the rain began to fall. With most people thinking the day was supposed to be a washout, a little rain at the end was no concern. People continued dancing until Tyler Childers ended his set with an acoustic “Lady May.”

Walking out, we were hungry and ended the night at Melba’s, the famous Gentilly Poboy shop, known not just for its great food but also for its promotion of childhood literacy and an affordable book program. They have books for sale there, and if you buy a book, you can get either a free daiquiri, grits, a brownie, or red beans and rice. We ordered a shrimp po’boy to eat on the ride home and a debris po'boy to eat once we got home. After walking 15,000 steps, we earned both.

Day 2 was just as exciting: 16-year-old River Eckert started the morning under the Blues Tent. Another crawfish strudel, the Jamaican combo plate (chicken on a stick, sauteed spinach, fried plantains), and a frozen rum punch. Watched a cooking show in the grandstand of Anne Lloyd making boudin balls. Then the tribute to Marcia Ball, who was recently diagnosed with ALS. She sat on the side of the stage as her band played her hits, and then she surprised the crowd and probably her bandmates as she was led to the piano and joined in for one song, “Where Do You Go?”

Jon Batiste ended the night in the Blues Tent with his first-time performance of The Swamp, which many think will eventually end up as a theater-run musical.

Our shift ended again at 6:30, and we made it to Rod Stewart on the main stage and heard the 81-year-old belt out “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?”

If we hadn’t stopped for crawfish bread, we would’ve caught David Byrne ending the night with “Burning Down the House.” We walked up as it ended.

That’s okay because we have the second weekend to do it all again. We didn’t just find a way to afford Jazz Fest, we found a way to be a part of it.