Temperatures are (way) up in New Orleans and that means that Satchmo SummerFest is only a few weeks away! The festival dedicated to the life, legacy, and music of Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong returns to the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4, 2024. There will be live music, a speaker series, food, dancing, and fun for all from 11:30am-8pm both days. This year, there will be FREE admission for all at Satchmo SummerFest thanks to their partnership with New Orleans & Co. 

The 2024 festival lineup includes musical acts ranging from traditional jazz to swing, brass and marching bands, funk, R&B, jazz fusion, and more performing on two tented stages. Artists making their Satchmo SummerFest debuts this year include NOJO 7 featuring Phillip Manuel, Brass-A-Holics with Flagboy Giz, Rickie Monie & Jamil Sharif, Steve Lands and Kosmi(k)rewe, and Detroit Brooks. Returning performers include the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Big Chief Donald Harrison with the ICONS featuring Choppa, BlaqNmilD, and Tonya Boyd Cannon, The Nayo Jones Experience, Catherine Russell, and Kermit Ruffins.

On the Satchmo Legacy Stage in Memory of Joni Berry, scholars and historians will present a wide range of topics related to Louis Armstrong and his musical legacy. Roger Lewis, founding member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, will sit down with David Kunian, WWOZ show host and the New Orleans Jazz Museum Curator, to talk about his storied life in music, including experiences playing with Fats Domino, Eddie Bo, and the Treme Brass Band. Join in on Back O' Town Blues, the Anatomy of A Beloved Louis Armstrong Classic, a conversation with Paul Kahn and Catherine Russell that explores this staple of Armstrong's repertoire as a metaphor for both the transformative nature of Satchmo's artistry and the politics of music. View the full music & speaker lineup here.

In addition to music, the 2023 Satchmo SummerFest will feature delicious cuisine from 14 Parishes, Cafe Dauphine, Plum St. Snoballs, and Southerns, and more. Complete menus are available at this link.

The Jazz Mass at St. Augustine Church will begin at 10am on Sunday followed by a second line parade to Satchmo SummerFest from the Treme neighborhood and through the French Quarter led by Treme Brass Band. Please note that space and seating is limited and, due to ongoing renovations at the church, mass will be held in the Parish Hall. The mass will also be livestreamed on Facebook.com/saintaugchurch.

Looking for information that's not included here? The official festival website with all the latest is satchmosummerfest.org!