Jazz Fest: Your Before & After Game Plan at City Park
April 17, 2026
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If you’re heading to New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, there’s one place you’ll want to build into your plans before and after the music – New Orleans City Park. Just minutes from the Fair Grounds, City Park offers a place to start your day, recharge between sets, or wind down after the Fest. With live music, local markets, scenic green space, and some of the best free things to do in New Orleans, it’s the perfect complement to a Jazz Fest experience. Whether you’re a local or visiting for the first time, here’s your guide to making the most of City Park during Jazz Fest.
Before the Fest: Ease Into the Day
Start your day in a way that feels like New Orleans – slow, vibrant, and connected.
Crescent City Farmers Market (April 26 & May 3 | 9am-12pm)
Kick off your morning at the Crescent City Farmers Market at City Putt Plaza. Grab fresh fruit, local coffee, and breakfast bites before heading to the Fair Grounds. It’s a relaxed, community-driven way to fuel up — and one of the easiest free activities in New Orleans to build into your Jazz Fest routine.
Arts Market New Orleans (April 25 | 10am-4pm)
Browse handmade goods, artwork, and local crafts at Arts Market New Orleans along the Popp Bandstand Corridor. Whether you’re looking for a last-minute accessory for the Fest or a meaningful souvenir, this market connects you with local makers and adds to the experience of discovering family attractions in New Orleans beyond the festival grounds.
During the Weekend: Take a Breather in the Park
Jazz Fest is unforgettable – and it’s also a full day. City Park offers space to reset between or after festival days. Take a walk beneath centuries-old live oaks, stretch out on the Great Lawn, or find a quiet spot by the lagoons. It’s a chance to slow down, recharge, and experience a different side of New Orleans – one rooted in nature, connection, and community.
After the Fest: Keep the Music Going
When the gates close at Jazz Fest, the music doesn’t have to stop.
Thursdays at Twilight (April 23 | 6-8pm)
After your first day at the Fest, head to the Pavilion of the Two Sisters for this indoor concert featuring Patrice Fisher and Arpa with special guests from Honduras.
Evening with Enrique (April 29 | 5-7:30pm)
Midweek between Jazz Fest weekends, unwind at this free concert in the New Orleans Botanical Garden featuring Fermin Ceballos and Merengue 4. It’s a chance to keep the rhythm going while enjoying one of the park’s most beautiful settings – and another example of the many free activities New Orleans offers during festival season.
Free Things to Do in New Orleans – Right Here in City Park
If you’re looking to recharge, City Park offers some of the best free things to do in New Orleans, all in one place: walk beneath centuries-old live oak trees, explore the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, wander through Couturie Forest’s peaceful trails, let kids enjoy parks with playgrounds like Stanley Ray or Magnolia Playground, and relax by the lagoons with a picnic or quiet moment. These simple experiences are what make City Park the Heart of the City – a place where you can pause, reconnect, and take it all in.
The Heart of Your Jazz Fest Weekend
Jazz Fest is about music, culture, and connection – and City Park is where those moments can continue. Before the gates open, after the last set, or anywhere in between, the park offers a place to gather, recharge, and experience New Orleans in a different way. Because sometimes the best part of the weekend isn’t just the music – it’s everything that happens around it. And it all starts right here, in the Heart of the City.