What to Pack for Jazz Fest
Jazz Fest can be the best day ever, but it also can be an uncomfortable experience if you don't have what you need.
Getting sunburned is bad; walking across the entire festival grounds to buy sunscreen only to still burn is worse. You'll probably want to download this handy guide to use when packing your festival bag. As a reminder, they don't allow obnoxiously large hard coolers or backpacks so keep that in mind. You can visit the Jazz Fest website for the full list of prohibited items. This list isn't the definitive guide, but it's mine and has served me well as someone who typically works or visits the full festival run.
New Orleans weather is no joke, so the sunscreen (reapplied more often than you think), sunglasses, hat, and portable fan are pretty self explanatory. The same goes for the rain: late April/early May can bring not just showers but torrential downpours. What most people don't understand is that when the rain stops, the puddles and sloppy mud often remain for days. If you're a rain boot person, bring those. I typically find them extremely heavy and bulky to carry, and hot to wear if it isn't raining, so I'd rather wear my regular tennis shoes and bring an extra pair of socks, if mine get wet, and flip-flops in case my shoes are going to get destroyed in mud. It's your call, but have backup footwear options and don't wear shoes you don't mind ruining, similar to Bourbon Street.
Some people love frolicking in the rain, but a poncho or an umbrella is a smart choice if you don't like getting wet. The humidity is intense and combine that with drinks and walking, you will dehydrate faster than expected, so please take advantage of the amazing options to prevent that. You can bring in your own factory sealed, full water bottles—ie., not vodka. I also recommend bringing an empty insulated tumbler. There are ice refill stations, and I alternate between water, the blackberry or rosemint herbal tea, and the strawberry lemonade. You can even put beer in your tumbler with the cap on to keep it cool throughout the set you're watching.
Amazing medics are available in the medical tents, and you can also find an array of sunscreens, Tylenol, ibuprofen, band-aids, and toiletry items in the larger bathroom trailers and inside the grandstands—bring cash to tip the bathroom attendants who supply these products. However, when you have a headache, sometimes you just want to take your two ibuprofen at the Gentilly Stage instead of walking a quarter mile down that track and back. I always carry a little mini day-of bridal preparations kit, which is usually perfect for Jazz Fest, and the medicines are correctly marked so they don't get confiscated.
No matter how hard you try, you'll probably get a little muddy, might have to use a Porta-Potty, and will likely sit on the ground at some point, so hand-sanitizer and wet wipes are an absolute must. I prefer bringing a towel over a blanket or chair because it's lighter and dual purpose because it dries/cleans and is also nice to sit on. If you're constantly on the move and traveling solo, I 100% recommend the towel. If you plan to stay in one spot all day, you may want a festival allowed chair or a blanket, but recognize that these are more cumbersome to carry—especially in crowds.
If you're like me and are a millennial or younger, you probably won't be able to go far without your phone, especially with the handy Jazz Fest app—it's the best for finding a map and locating food vendors. A portable phone charger is a must, and make sure you have the relevant cords. Since the fest is cashless, you'll also need a credit card, but the Tap to Pay feature is extremely handy if you have that set up on your phone. I also like to get close to the stages, so ear-protection is extremely important. You can get loop versions that sit over your ears so you aren't losing the audio quality but just protecting from the damage of being too close to the speakers.
Finally, we can all agree that the music is the most important part of the fest. However, food follows closely behind. It's extremely uncomfortable to carry a scalding hot plate from the Festival to the Gentilly stages, and it's incredibly sad when you spill sauces. Therefore, I always bring a variety of empty rubbermaid containers, aluminum foil, and Ziploc bag options so that I can hit four or five food vendors at once, put all the goodies directly into safe transport, and get back to where I was camped. It's also the best way to bring your leftovers home. On your way to the car, take any leftover cash from tipping your attendants and get a lemonade or a cold drink from a neighborhood kid or local entrepreneur along the route.
