The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has announced that its annual event will not take place in October due to COVID-19 conditions.

Organizers cited the "exponential growth of new COVID cases in New Orleans" as well as the statewide public health emergency as their reasoning to cancel the 2021 Jazz Fest and focus on Spring of 2022.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival usually happens in the spring, but after missing 2020 altogether due to the pandemic, organizers decided to move the festival to Fall of 2021 when it seemed like we were on a path to victory over the virus.

Over the last few weeks, our victory lap has been spoiled by the Delta variant ravaging our region as a high number of cases tore into our abysmal vaccination rates.

Jazz Fest says they look forward to bringing the festival back to its traditional time frame between April 29-May 8, 2022.

Fans of Jazz Fest offered mixed reactions on Facebook with some calling the decision brave while others opted to cast blame on those who still refuse to get vaccinated.

Jazz Fest, Facebook
Jazz Fest, Facebook
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Others felt like the cancellation was inevitable while some fans were flat-out devastated to hear the news.

Jazz Fest, Facebook
Jazz Fest, Facebook
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If you purchased a ticket to both weekends of Jazz Fest, be on the lookout for an email with details on rollovers and refunds. If you purchased a ticket for Wednesday, October 13, your ticket will automatically be refunded.

Jazz Fest also urged their followers to follow guidelines and protocols so that we will be able to see a festival together in the future.

The last Jazz Fest event to take place happened in the Spring of 2019.

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