New Orleans Jazzfest 2026

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is back for 2026, running across two weekends in late April and early May. While the festival itself, based at the New Orleans Fair Grounds, winds up each evening around 7pm, the music keeps going all night at clubs across the city. That's where NOLA.Show comes in — we track hundreds of nighttime shows so you don't miss a thing.

Jazzfest 2026 Dates & Schedule

When is Jazzfest 2026?

Period	Dates	Nighttime Shows
First Weekend	Thursday, April 23 – Sunday, April 26	Thu Fri Sat Sun
Days Between	Monday, April 27 – Wednesday, April 29	Mon Tue Wed
Second Weekend	Thursday, April 30 – Sunday, May 3	Thu Fri Sat Sun
Days After	Monday, May 4 – Tuesday, May 5	Mon Tue

View all Jazzfest nighttime shows ↓

Nighttime Shows

These shows often sell out or pack the room, especially for artists who performed at the festival earlier that day. Knowing what's happening and where gives you a real advantage.

Frenchmen Street: This stretch in the Marigny has gotten more touristy over the years, but has a very lively scene, and venues there have killer shows during Jazzfest. Snug Harbor is the old-school intimate club for straight jazz performances (like a smaller version of the Blue Note in NYC). The Blue Nile, d.b.a., and Maison all tend to have special shows during Jazzfest.

Uptown: Tipitina's hosts marquee shows every night of the festival, and on weekends will sometimes do a late-late show with national acts starting at 2am. Maple Leaf Bar is a local institution with a packed Jazzfest calendar. Le Bon Temps Roule has live music late every night, including the standing 11pm Thursday night "house party" with the Soul Rebels Brass Band (it gets really crowded!) Carrollton Station hosts great local acts, and Gasa Gasa books indie and experimental acts.

French Quarter: Preservation Hall for traditional jazz (advance tickets ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY). Preservation Hall's "Midnite Preserves" series runs during Jazzfest - these intimate shows start at midnight and often feature national acts in a tiny, tiny room, but they don't reveal who's playing until you get there. Toulouse Theater has great shows during jazzfest, and so does the House of Blues (including its smaller, more intimate room, The Parish). The clubs on Bourbon Street are more tourist-oriented and we generally do not include them in our listings, although Mayfield's 208 is an exception to that rule.

Marigny/Bywater: Siberia, Saturn Bar, and No Dice are all on the St Claude Arts Corridor and book local and national acts during Jazzfest. Cafe Istanbul tends to cater to the Dead Head crowd during fest. BJ's Lounge and Vaughn's Lounge feature top-shelf local acts that you are not likely to see elsewhere. And look out for smaller bars that have regular live music, like Okay Bar.

Mid-City: Chickie Wah Wah is known for bringing in national acts during Jazzfest and is a small and intimate setting to see them. The Broadside is a new venue that has an outdoor stage and an indoor 'Pavilion' - it hosts daytime festivals between the two Jazzfest weekends and a combination of local and national touring acts at night.

Night-by-Night Listings

Late-night shows (after midnight) are grouped with the previous evening. Updated daily.

Listings for Jazzfest 2026 nighttime shows will appear here as venues announce them. Check back soon, or browse the full calendar.

Planning Your Trip

Other Jazzfest Planning Resources: Check out the Jazzfest Forums where you can find detailed fest info, ask questions of other fest-goers, and get answers you might not find elsewhere. Reddit's r/Jazzfest is another place to ask questions and get good answers from experienced festers.

Stay Updated

We update our listings daily as venues announce shows. Bookmark our recently added page to see what's new, or check the main calendar filtered to your dates.

Jazzfest 2026 is shaping up to be another great year. See you out there — and remember to tip the band.

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