Jazz Fest Trip Hints #1

Ok, here begins the instructions, hints and other items for our gathering this spring. I have already put links to nola.com and nojazzfest.com on the blog and you should check them regularly. Jazz fest news will be updated and the entire schedule should be out around Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras season starts on Sunday (Twelfth Night) and goes until the day before Ash Wednesday (February 5th).

Jazz Fest second weekend goes Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- sometimes you can get in a hair early, which is good, because there are less lines for the food tents.

1. Buy Tickets in Advance. You should definitely get your Jazz Fest tickets in advance off the website, just because its easier to have them to go in and it's a little less money. You don't want to wait in line to buy tickets. Second weekend tickets are good for any day second weekend.

You can look at the tickets for the night concerts but I'll say more about that later. I don't try to go to night concerts any more...but you might if it's your first Fest. If so I recommend a nap between the Fest and the night out.

2. Friday Night Slumber Party. We will do our slumber party on Friday evening and I'll have Debra cook for us so we can stay in and hang out. The guys can come and drink on the back deck and eat with us, but they have to stay in the hotel that night....I'm sure they will find something to do!

I will make dinner reservations for Saturday because I think Friday and Saturday are the only two nights everyone is here if people wants that. I will set out the schedules but some folks leave Sunday (during Fest...it will be hard). Thus, this might cut into the night concerts (although you can hear music up to 5 a.m.). Let me know if you want me to do that or if folks want to be on their own. You will likely eat enough at Fest so you won't be hungry and you WILL be tired so it might be a chore rather than fun.

3. JAZZ FEST POSTERS. When you get on the nojazzfest.com site, look at the jazz fest posters. All of us collect them (only the ones we like). Each year they have one official poster and one Congo Square (also official but not as popular) poster. They print 10,000 of the unsigned ones and they go up in value (you can go to the Art4Now.com site to see what the appreciation is).

Waiting in line to buy jazz fest posters and carrying them around jazz fest is a drag. Also, because you are coming second weekend, there is a chance they may be sold out. In any case, since it is unlikely you will be there all four days of fest, you don't want to wait in line. A small number of posters are sold on line before jazz fest. Therefore, if you like the poster and the idea of it, it is good to purchase it on line before you come to fest. It will be mailed to you after Jazz Fest.

The HowAreYA clothing is not so scarce so I wouldn't worry about buying any of that in advance. There are great t-shirts and other fest paraphenalia to purchaser there.

There are also several areas of different kinds of crafts so there is lots of shopping while you are listening to music: contemporary crafts, congo square crafts and heritage crafts. There are also cooking demonstrations by famous New Orleans chefs (look for Jonathan Besh, he's our new chef hero), interviews, poetry and art exhibits all on the Fair Grounds/Race Track during Fest.

4. Schedules. You can print schedules off the web, which you should do to get oriented, as well as the fest map. More about that in a later posting. You can also get it daily from the Times Picayune (which is what I do). Most of the time, NOLA.com passes our schedules at the front gate as you come in. They also sell programs at Fest but in the 15 years I've been going, I never bought one. The schedules should have the cooking, the parades (there's several a day) and other events besides the music. You will not be able to keep up.

I will do an entire post on the schedules, what the different tents are, how to get around the Fair Grounds and where to meet.

Next Post: What to pack!