Artisans from around the world, to your applications: Jazz Fest in New Orleans opens the doors of its 2027 markets — including the mythical Congo Square!

Close your eyes: in the distance, the bands are already resonating, and in your hands, a mask, a sculpture, a jewel that tell a continent. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has just opened the craft applications for its 2027 edition, which will take place from April 22 to 25, and from April 29 to May 2, at the Fair Grounds Race.

Three markets, three worlds to live in. Congo Square African Marketplace, the beating heart of the festival, celebrates artisanal works inspired by the cultures of the African diaspora and the Afro-Caribbean heritage. Contemporary Crafts showcases original and unique creations by artists from Louisiana, the United States and the international. Louisiana Marketplace, for its part, is exclusively reserved for artisans and artisans of Louisiana whose work reflects the cultural heritage of the state. Artists can apply for several markets, but will only be able to exhibit in one.

Specifically: $35 nomination fee, deadline Tuesday, December 1, 2026, via the festival's official website or the ZAPP platform. And to ask all of its questions in person — look at the team in the eye, hear the ex-exponents tell — the festival is organizing a "Crafts Application Social" on Wednesday, October 21, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation (1205 N. Rampart Street).

Jazz Fest is about half a million festivalgoers, 14 scenes and a celebration of the world's unique Luisian culture — jazz, blues, gospel, cajun, zydeco, brass bands. For the artisans of the diaspora, Congo Square is not just a market: it is a global showcase.

— Moïse 1er, the Festival Explorer