Satchmo SummerFest

Satchmo SummerFest in 2012
Satchmo SummerFest in 2018

Satchmo SummerFest (also known as Satchmofest) is an annual music festival held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in celebration of the jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong. It is held in early August in order to coincide with August 4, Armstrong's birthday.[1] It was founded in 2001, in conjunction with Armstrong's centennial celebration.[2]

The festival is traditionally held on the grounds of the old New Orleans Mint, now part of the Louisiana State Museum. It has multiple stages, including stages for traditional and contemporary jazz, big-band jazz, and a children's stage for up-and-coming jazz musicians.[3] In his book New Atlantis, John Swenson said that it "never fails to be one of the most joyous and characteristically New Orleans festivals of the year."[4]

2020 saw the Summerfest go virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it did happen in 2021.[5]

As of 2021, Satchmo Summerfest, French Quarter Festival, and Holidays New Orleans Style are formally overseen by the nonprofit French Quarter Festivals, Inc., which as of 2017 is led by CEO Emily Madero.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Wirt, John (July 30, 2019). "Robin Barnes, Jeremy Davenport, Kermit Ruffins, more New Orleans musicians gather at Satchmo SummerFest to celebrate the outsize legacy of Louis Armstrong". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate/nola.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.}
  2. ^ Guidry, Nate (August 8, 2005). "Another New Orleans festival trumpets Louis' legacy". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. C1. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  3. ^ Martel, Brett (July 27, 2001). "Big Easy Plays Up Satchmo's Roots". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  4. ^ Swenson, John (May 9, 2011). New Atlantis: Musicians Battle for the Survival of New Orleans. Oxford University Press. pp. 105–106. ISBN 978-0-19-977958-1.
  5. ^ a b Spera, Keith (August 13, 2021). "2021 French Quarter Festival canceled over COVID, plans return next spring". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate/nola.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "French Quarter Festivals names new CEO". New Orleans CityBusiness. March 30, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  7. ^ "Our Mission". French Quarter Festivals, Inc. Retrieved November 13, 2021.