New Orleans spring jazz season
New Orleans’ spring 2026 lineup is shaping up—events like the Jazz & Heritage Festival and the French Quarter Festival anchor the season and new local events are being added to the calendar for live‑music fans 2026 Spring events preview | nola.com.
Jazz Fest announced(jazzandheritage.org) its 2026 run for April 23–May 3 and booked headliners including the Eagles, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, Kings of Leon, Lorde, Jon Batiste and Nas. Organizers say the festival will showcase more than 5,000 musicians across 14 stages(jazzandheritage.org), and the Culture and Exchange Pavilion this year — billed “One Love Jamaica” — will feature Ziggy and Stephen Marley, Sean Paul and Protoje, according to the lineup release(wwno.org). French Quarter Festival set its dates for April 16–19 and is expanding into Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park at Governor Nicholls Wharf, adding a riverfront stage and a festival 5K, per the FQFI press release(frenchquarterfest.org). FQF’s organizers also unveiled a full music slate with 302 performances and 45 debut acts across 20 stages, and named PJ Morton as a headline act for 2026 in a separate festival announcement(frenchquarterfest.org). Local additions this spring include Overlook Film Festival (Apr 9–12), Hogs for the Cause (Apr 10–11) and Keith Lee’s Familee Day (May 16), each listed on seasonal roundups and event guides that estimate attendance figures and placement on the spring calendar(theeventquest.com). French Quarter Festival plans more than 70 local culinary vendors and upwards of 275 menu items while also selling VIP packages; the festival’s press materials and local coverage note the expanded food footprint and new paid options for 2026(frenchquarterfest.org).
