The 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will present a little less music than scheduled on its second Saturday, thanks to the morning's thunderstorms.
With heavy rain moving through the region, the festival's producers delayed the planned 11 a.m. opening to 12:15 p.m.
People prepare to enter the Fair Grounds in New Orleans for the 2023 Jazz & Heritage Festival after rain delayed the opening on Saturday, May 6, 2023.
As a result, the first acts of the day on each stage were canceled. The start times for many of each stage's second acts have been delayed anywhere from five to 25 minutes, and many of the set times have been shortened.
George Porter Jr. & Runnin' Pardners were originally scheduled to perform from 12:05 to 1:05 p.m. on the main Festival Stage. Porter and company have been delayed and will now play from 12:30 to 1:10 p.m.
By the third acts of the day, the schedule was expected to be back on track, with artists adhering to their original start times and set lengths.
The schedule "cubes" posted on the Jazz Fest website were updated with the new times.
Saturday's rained-out acts included the Kinfolk Brass Band, Darcy Malone & the Tangle, Guitar Slim Jr., Feufollet and the Southern University Jazzy Jags.
As fest-goers waited in the morning for the gates to open, long lines formed outside the Gentilly Boulevard entrance to the Fair Grounds. Once allowed in, the first arrivals ran in a light rain to stake out territory at the main Festival Stage, where Dead & Company were scheduled to play at 4:30 p.m.
By 1:15, heavier rains were falling at the Fair Grounds, even as the music continued to play.
