Jazz Fest is known worldwide for its exciting mix of music, entertainment, food, fun and, of course, New Orleans. The festival carries with it heavy influences of the Crescent City, from the music to the food to the atmosphere. Jazz Fest is perhaps one of the world’s most well known music festivals to be so stamped by its host city.

First off there’s the music. The name itself owes its roots to New Orleans, often credited with being the birth place of jazz. While the festival has seen a major shift over the past decade in its music policy – many headlining groups have little or nothing to do with jazz and New Orleans’ musical heritage – it has managed to cling to its musical roots, and this year has seen a resurgence of local music.

The food is another quintessential New Orleans element of Jazz Fest. From red beans and rice to crawfish bread, festival-goers from all over the world are exposed to the wide range of delicious food that helps to give New Orleans its charm. Food stands cover the grounds, serving up some of the best examples of New Orleans dining.

Then there’s the atmosphere, which takes the best of New Orleans culture and leaves the worst at the door. Aside from the excellent music and food, there’s plenty of art, beer, smiles, diversity and flat out weirdness to be found.

Maybe it was just because it didn’t take longer than three minutes to get a beer, but the vibe was laid back and easygoing this year, highlighting the hospitality and warmth this city used to be known for but seems to be lacking more and more these days.

A diverse crowd, ranging from the sandal ‘n’ socks tourist crowd, grungy artist types, southern belles to throwback hippies, cover the Fair Grounds. In spite of the diversity, everyone seemed to be friendly, having a good time and enjoying the wide range of people.

For those who haven’t experienced Jazz Fest, this seems to be a great year to start, and for those that have, it’s full of good reasons to keep coming back.

Brandon Holmes can be reached at [email protected].

Ronald Boshea, 22 months, from New Orleans visited the childrens´ craft tent. (Gillian Dicker)