Has the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ever experienced such polar opposite two-day combinations as it did this weekend?
The second Thursday and Friday of the 2026 Jazz Fest were very difficult days. Rain forced the fest to shut down early and cancel acts. Attendance suffered as a result.
But then came the final Saturday and Sunday. Clear skies, low humidity and big, big crowds.
Sunday didnโt repeat Saturdayโs sellout. But it sure felt like another huge day.
Earth Wind & Fire was to the Congo Square Stage on Sunday what the Eagles were to the Festival Stage on Saturday: an act that pushed that respective fieldโs capacity to the limit. Fans filled the spaces between the Congo craft areaโs booths and set up across the walking path just to hear the band.
Overall, it was a peak-level finale.
The crowd walks between stages during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Sunday, May 3, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK
Keyboardist and singer Davell Crawford brought out Charmaine Neville, clarinetist Dr. Michael White and Rosalie โLady Tambourineโ Ashton-Washington for a final, deep-New Orleans โJust a Closer Walk With Theeโ in the Gospel Tent.
Trumpeter James Andrews, accompanied by a couple of Baby Dolls, tossed Mardi Gras-style plushies to the crowd before leading the band through the aisles of the Blues Tent for โWhen the Saints Go Marching In.โ
James Andrews, center, walks through the crowd and plays his trumpet as he and the Crescent City Allstars play in the Blues Tent stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER
Guitarist Will Murray, whose main stage set with The Iceman Special on Thursday was canceled, got to guest with guitarist Marc Stone at the Blues Tent on The Bandโs โThe Shape Iโm Inโ and more.
Later, a beaming Jackie Venson shredded blues-rock riffs on her Les Paul guitar in the Blues Tent.
Teddy Swims, jazz fan
Teddy Swims, sporting the most face tattoos of any Festival Stage performer since Lil Wayne, showed up in a No. 69 Saints jersey despite hailing from deep in Falcons territory. Swims wasnโt shy about expressing his love for New Orleans in general and its music in particular.
Teddy Swims performs on the Festival Stage during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Sunday, May 3, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK
The previous night, he was a surprise guest for the โMidnight Preservesโ concert series at Preservation Hall. Irma Thomas was also on the bill; listening to her sing, Swims said, was a โlife-changingโ experience. He went on at length about how blown away he was by Preservation Hall and encouraged everyone to go check it out.
Not that he wasnโt above having a little fun with the notion of his presence at a โJazz Fest.โ In a recurring gag, he yelled, โJazz, b----!,โ a signal for his band to embark on a triple-time instrumental excursion while he danced a sort of โjazz feetโ hot-foot in his black socks.
โWeโre going to do that a few times just to make sure weโre playing some jazz,โ he said with a grin.
Teddy Swims performs on the Festival Stage during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Sunday, May 3, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK
Between bouts of jazz feet, Swims showed off the sort of hearty soul/R&B pipes that first earned him a following for cover songs posted on YouTube. He opened with โThe Doorโ and showcased โFuneral,โ โShe Loves the Rain,โ โBad Dreamsโ and โBlack and White.โ
He credited โSome Things Iโll Never Knowโ to a โs--- ex-girlfriend.โ A subsequent cover of Shania Twainโs โYouโre Still the One,โ one of his most popular YouTube numbers, was clearly not meant for the same ex-girlfriend.
Barely 20 minutes after finishing his own set, he materialized at the opposite end of the Fair Grounds on the Shell Gentilly Stage to guest with the Tedeschi Trucks Band on the Traffic / Joe Cocker chestnut โFeelinโ Alright.โ He delivered it without the jazz feet.
Shorty the Iron Man
Troy โTrombone Shortyโ Andrews turned up to watch T-Pain on Saturday wearing a vintage-looking purple Neville Brothers T-shirt. Since 2013, heโs closed the festโs biggest stage on the final Sunday, just as the Neville Brothers did for years. He is very much aware of that history, and of the importance of honoring it.
Trombone Shorty listens to T-Pain perform on the Congo Square Stage during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Saturday, May 2, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK
Which didnโt stop him from standing alongside his saxophonists for a brassy remake of the signature riff from Black Sabbathโs โIron Man.โ
If Teddy Swims can have jazz feet, Trombone Shorty can rock โIron Man.โ
A last lap
To lap around the Fair Grounds in the final 30 minutes of the 2026 Jazz Fest was to experience an overload of American music.
It was Earth Wind & Fire, in matching sparkles, delighting with โBoogie Wonderland,โ โLetโs Grooveโ and โSeptemberโ in quick succession.
Earth, Wind, & Fire perform on the Congo Square Stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER
It was Derek Trucks reuniting with his former Allman Brothers Band bandmates Warren Haynes and Jaimoe on the Allmans classic โDreams.โ
It was Russ Forshag hammering on a hot piece of metal in the Blacksmith Demo Annex while facing Steve Earle at the Sheraton Fais Do-Do Stage, who was hammering away on take-no-prisoners Americana music.
It was Herbie Hancock, accompanied by New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard, hopping up and down while wielding a huge white key-tar.
Herbie Hancock performs in the WWOZ Jazz Tent during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Sunday, May 3, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK
And it was Troy โTrombone Shortyโ Andrews not quite wanting to let the 2026 Jazz Fest go.
After he finished his closing set at the Festival Stage, Andrews made his way to his backstage trailer accompanied by the New Breed Brass Band.
Fans exiting toward the dirt track heard the brass band and spotted Shorty as he climbed the steps of his trailer behind a privacy fence. The fans cheered. Shorty raised his arms. The fans cheered some more.
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue perform on the Festival Stage during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Sunday, May 3, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK
Unable to resist, Andrews started playing his trumpet with New Breed, and suddenly an impromptu street party took hold. Hundreds of fans stopped to watch and record and dance.
A woman elevated a young boy with a red tromboneย โ a boy who looked a lot like a young Trombone Shortyย โ to the top of the fence. Shorty spotted him and pointed him out.
They played some more. A few minutes past 7 p.m., Andrews gave a final wave and disappeared into his trailer.
Heโd stamped the final note on a memorable 2026 Jazz Fest.
Chantell Augustine hoists her son, Uzziah, 2, on her shoulder as they parade with the 9th Ward Hunters at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER