THE FESTIVAL OF FESTIVALS

In April 1970, George Wein, producer of successful jazz and folk festivals in Newport, RI., staged the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a variation on the previous year’s International New Orleans Jazz Festival, in the Municipal Auditorium and what is now Congo Square. Two years later, the outdoor Louisiana Heritage Fair portion of Jazzfest moved to the infield of the Fair Grounds. By the end of the century, Jazzfest had grown into an event that attracts 400,000 visitors and international acclaim each year. The festival was one manifestation of a trend that had begun in 1961, when Allen Jaffe founded Preservation Hall on St. Peter Street. Whether the venue was the Fest, Preservation Hall or clubs like Tipitina’s, the aim was the same: preserving the Crescent City’s musical heritage.