Here in New Orleans, we are officially in the middle of Festival Season – a time of year that not every city gets to experience. We fest the best in the country, and it’s not just New Orleanians that know it to be true.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was recently named by National Geographic as one of the Summer’s Best Music Festivals. The list includes the best fests from around the world, and our Jazz Fest is one of only two U.S. festivals to make the list of six events. As New Orleanians, this may come as no surprise since we know what a phenomenal experience it is. We can feel a sense of pride that one of our most beloved festivals made this very short list from such a trusted source, but this nod from National Geographic means so much more to us than just an accolade to add to our list.
New Orleans has the best festivals in the world. (photo from dutchbaby on Flickr)
Festivals in New Orleans like Jazz Fest draw more and more people to our city, and during those times, our city gets huge boosts in revenue from tourist spending, and each one of those dollars spreads throughout our economy, affecting each and every one of us; the 2014 Jazz Fest had 435,000 attendees! With recognition from National Geographic for the wonderful experience we offer, we are able to continue our upward momentum in bettering our city.
(photo from Wally Goebetz on Flickr)
Beyond the important boost to our economy from the popularity of Jazz Fest, and other festivals like it, high attendance as well as food and drink sales at our festivals are the reason that we are able to have so many FREE festivals in our city. Ticket sales from Jazz Fest are used by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation to bring more music and cultural celebrations to our residents for free, as well as for music education for children throughout the city. And we are only at the beginning of Festival Season. Coming up, we have several more wonderful New Orleans festivals to enjoy alongside our visitors like Bayou Boogaloo, New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, Oyster Fest, the Creole Tomato Festival, and many more. Let’s get excited and watch as each festival brings in people and revenue that benefits our entire city.
When we get a gracious nod like Jazz Fest making the list of the Summer’s Best Music Festivals, New Orleanians can see that as continued growth and success for our city. Tourism is our number one industry, and as it gets stronger and more successful, our city does with it. Tourism will continue to work for us, and as we get to enjoy our wonderful festivals while also reaping the economic benefits they afford us, we will continue to have our cake and eat it, too.