April 28, 2025 marks the fifth day of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, better known as Jazz Fest. This weeklong celebration hosts over 10 stages of musicians and bands, from jazz and gospel to zydeco and blues. Aside from the genre-spanning lineup, Jazz Fest is a cultural keystone and economic powerhouse for New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. 

Since its founding in 1970, the festival has honored New Orleans as the birthplace of jazz. Over the past 55 years, cherishing the musical heritage of New Orleans, the festival has evolved into something greater. The nonprofit behind Jazz Fest, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, built the festival up from an annual musical nirvana to a year-round engine for education, economic development and cultural enrichment. The Foundation’s motto? “We Teach, We Build, We Celebrate.” Here is how that looks in action:

• Education: The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation puts musical education at the heart of their work, understanding that the next generation of musicians won’t necessarily just create themselves. To help foster New Orleans own home-grown jazz and musical talent, they have created several key programs, including:
  • School of Music: The Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music was founded in 1990 and has since offered a free after school program, serving nearly 300 students a week. The program offers kids ages 8-18 in-depth music training, ensemble playing and music theory taught by some of the best musicians in New Orleans.
  • Class Got Brass: This youth brass band competition awards $50,000+ in certificates, instruments and music supplies to the winning school. Each competitor receives a $1,000 stipend and gets the chance to perform at the Congo Square Rhythms Festival.

• Economic Development: The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation additionally takes proceeds from Jazz Fest and puts them directly back into economic development opportunities for New Orleans, including through:
  • Community Partnership Grants: providing support to schools, artists and nonprofits across Louisiana, these grants have resulted in over $15 million in distributed funds in the last decade, helping to ensure the musical communities of Louisiana continue to thrive and grow. 
  • Catapult Fund: A small business accelerator encouraging sustainable innovation, this fund provides interactive training to local entrepreneurs to help them access growth opportunities and take their business to the next level. In 2024, 21 local vendors were awarded a total of $118,000 in supporting funds, directly helping to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Orleans.

• Cultural Enrichment: Foundational to Jazz Fest and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation is the cultural work they promote in the city and throughout greater Louisiana. This work includes that done by:
  • The Jazz & Heritage Center: Named after pioneering Jazz Fest producers, the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center doubles as a community arts center for New Orleans and is home to many of the Foundation’s programs.
  • Homes and Heritage: Launched in April 2025, the Foundation partnered with the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans to offer free home repairs for low-to-moderate income “cultural bearers.” Defined as New Orleans musicians and tradition keepers, these cultural bearers are ambassadors of the city’s unique culture, history and legacy and actively contribute to its vitality and richness.

The Notable Economic Impact of Jazz Fest:

Jazz Fest runs from April 24 to May 4, 2025 and is expected to add $350 million into the local economy in those 11 days alone. Naturally, this is a huge boon to local businesses, especially those in the tourism industry, given that approximately half a million people attend Jazz Fest annually (nearly 40% larger than the population of New Orleans itself). Since the festival’s founding in 1970 with a debut audience of 350 people, the festival has seen nearly a 1500% increase in annual attendance in the last 65 years. 

As such, the swaths of visitors that fill local hotels, dine at neighborhood restaurants and shop at small businesses fuel local commerce and reinvigorate the natural and well-earned pride New Orleanians feel for their city. The continued and increasing patronage of Jazz Fest additionally acts as a springboard for Louisiana’s homegrown talent. Performing at the festival or hosting a food stall can be a breakout opportunity for local artists and entrepreneurs, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem of world-class talent wholly unique to New Orleans. 

For jazz lovers, attending Jazz Fest may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For policymakers and community builders, Jazz Fest is a case study in how cultural celebration can be a catalyst for holistic economic development. Jazz Fest does more than entertain; it educates, uplifts and invests in the soul of New Orleans. If you want to understand what makes New Orleans NoLa, start by listening to the music. Don’t stop there — follow the money, the impact, the history and the fun.