History The Jazz and Heritage Festival was held in 1970 when George Wein the jazz impresario behind the Newport Jazz Festival was asked to design and produce a unique festival for New Orleans. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit organization, was established to oversee the Festival and the allocation of money to the right causes.
About 350 people attended the first Jazz Fest in New Orleans 1970 but now it’s a multi day event and brings more then 600,000 music lovers to Louisianna.
