An Insider's Guide to the New Orleans Jazz Festival

From seeing headliners such as Lauryn Hill and John Legend to checking out the best the city has to offer, here's an insider's view of what to do at Jazz Fest.

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For seven days spread across two weekends -- beginning on the last Friday in April -- nearly 400,000 people attend the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (informally known as Jazz Fest), an annual event that features hundreds of acts, representing a wide range of music on a dozen stages. Jazz Fest is one of New Orleans' signature cultural products, and for two weeks the entire city is filled with related events, including several smaller music festivals around the city and high-profile performers every night at the city's bars and clubs. With so much happening at once, it can be overwhelming. Below is a guide to getting the most out of your visit. Despite the name, Jazz Fest showcases a wide range of musical styles, from pop and punk to hip-hop, blues, gospel folk and many different kinds of jazz. The festival is a great place to catch local acts from Rebirth Brass Band, Dr. John and Glen David Andrews to Big Freedia and Mystikal, as well as Mardi Gras Indian performances, second line parades and children's programming. The festival always delivers a roster of big names, which this year includes musicians from Lauryn Hill to Arcade Fire, John Mellencamp to John Legend and Tom Jones to Lupe Fiasco. But any Jazz Fest veteran will tell you the greatest joys are to be had in the discovery of less well-known acts on the smaller stages.