Mike Gowland is the owner of Fireman Mike's Kitchen. He and his family have run two food booths at Jazz Fest for years: one in the kids area and one in Food Area I with alligator sauce piquante, shrimp & grits, and shrimp, sausage, and okra gumbo. In this WWOZ Jazz Fest Fla... Read more

Renowned sculptor and jewelry designer Thomas Mann has exhibited his work at Jazz Fest since 1977. Watch this WWOZ Jazz Fest Flashback to find out how he's kept his jewelry and presence at the festival fresh through all these years: Read more

Wild Mohicans at Jazz Fest on April 29, 2017. Photo by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee. In honor of Jazz Fest's 50th anniversary in 2019, we're featuring a Jazz Fest photo of the day with our audience. Keep your eyes here, and at our Jazz Fest 50 page, all year long to see them, plu... Read more

The Fairview Baptist Church Christian Marching Band at Jazz Fest in Congo Square, 1971. Photo by John Messina, courtesy of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Archive.  In honor of Jazz Fest's 50th anniversary in 2019, we're featuring a Jazz Fest photo of the day with our au... Read more

Happy birthday to Leroy Jones! Here he is at home in Economy Hall at Jazz Fest on Day 7 - May 6, 2018. Photo by Marc PoKempner. In honor of Jazz Fest's 50th anniversary in 2019, we're featuring a Jazz Fest photo of the day with our audience. Keep your eyes here, and at ou... Read more

Crawfish Monica has long been a Jazz Fest fan favorite. Photo by David Stafford. In honor of Jazz Fest's 50th anniversary in 2019, we're featuring a Jazz Fest photo of the day with our audience. Keep your eyes here, and at our Jazz Fest 50 page, all year long to see them... Read more

Happy birthday to Irma Thomas! Here she is onstage at Jazz Fest in 2014. Photo by Leon Morris. In honor of Jazz Fest's 50th anniversary in 2019, we're featuring a Jazz Fest photo of the day with our audience. Keep your eyes here, and at our Jazz Fest 50 page, all year lo... Read more

Parade at the Fairgrounds in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Photo by Ice Cube Slim, courtesy of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Archive.  In honor of Jazz Fest's 50th anniversary in 2019, we're featuring a Jazz Fest photo of the day with our audience. Keep your eyes here,... Read more

Nancy Ochsenschlager has worn many hats at Jazz Fest, first starting as a volunteer in 1976, then moving into the Fair Director position, and finally Associate Producer before retiring in 2005, though she remains involved to this day. Nancy has been integral to the festiva... Read more

Tightrope walker Will Sodo reaches new heights above the Fairgrounds in 1986. Photo by Harold Baquet, courtesy of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Archive.  In honor of Jazz Fest's 50th anniversary in 2019, we're featuring a Jazz Fest photo of the day with our audience. K... Read more