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The Inside Scoop & Survival Tips
- Get a schedule from Offbeat magazine (easy to find anywhere in town) or the official guide from Jazz Fest and laminate it. That way it won't fall apart from overuse.
- Or, go to www.nojazzfest.com, choose the bands you want to see, and put together your own personal Jazz Fest schedule.
- Wear comfortable clothes and old shoes. And bring a hat! It will
undoubtedly be hot, and you'll be walking around from stage to stage,
waiting in line at food booths and sitting on the grass/dirt. If it
looks like rain, either wear shoes that you don't mind ruining, or
wear rubber boots. (This is not a fashion show - no one will point
and laugh. They'll be jealous when it starts to rain.)
- Bring basic supplies in an easy-to-carry backpack: money, i.d.,
baseball cap or sunvisor, sunscreen, kleenex (you never know when
the port-o-potties will run out of TP), bandana, and a sheet or blanket
(lightweight) to spread out on the ground. If it looks like rain,
bring a rain poncho or make an emergency raincoat by cutting head
and arm holes out of a big, heavy-duty garbage bag. The garbage bag
can double as a waterproof blanket for the ground if it's muddy.
- Did we say bring lots of money? First there are the cost of the
tickets, and then there's all the food and drink you'll
be consuming. A bowl of red beans and rice here, a plate
of jambalaya there. It adds up. Plus there are all the
goodies you'll want to take home, like an official Jazz
Fest poster and a Jazz Fest HowAhYa™ shirt.
And don't forget those arts and crafts.
- Foods you must try:
Crawfish Bread - A Jazz Fest favorite you can't
find at any other time of year: crawfish, melted cheese and green onions smothered
together between two slices of French bread. Yum.
Softshell Crab Po’Boy - Did you know
that crabs grow new shells? In order to grow, crabs shed their old shells and
can grow a new one in a matter of days. Fishermen catch them while the shells
are soft and they get fried up and served hot on crusty French bread at JazzFest.
Throw on some lemon and TABASCO® and
voila! A little slice of heaven.
Crawfish Sacks - Little fried pockets
of dough stuffed with crawfish and tied together with string.
Crawfish Beignets - Not sweet like traditional beignets, crawfish is
substituted for powdered sugar. Crawfish Monica -It's not named after the intern, but it is pretty spicy
- crawfish in a creamy sauce over pasta
- Walk on the circular track that surrounds the fest. (Jazz Fest
is held at The Fairgrounds, a horse racing track.) The crowds are
thinner on the outer track and you'll be closer to the port-o-potties.
- The Grandstands are a well-kept secret. go to that area for air
conditioning, great food, clean restrooms that aren't
over-crowded, videos, artwork and a music stage. A good place to sit
and relax.
- If all else fails - go to the Gospel Tent to escape the sun and listen to some great music.
Just can't make it to Jazz Fest this year? For a taste, you can listen to the internet broadcast at www.wwoz.org. The web site for WWOZ 90.7 FM, a public radio station located in New Orleans, it features 24 hour blues, jazz, cajun, zydeco, gospel, Brazilian, Caribbean and live broadcasts from Jazz Fest.
Whip up a few of these Cajun-Creole dishes, sit back and relax, and think about all the fun you'll have next year when you go down to New Orleans for Jazz Fest.
Jazz Festival Recipes:
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