If you've ever been to the Jazz & Heritage Festival you would know that half of it is arts & crafts and concessions. Arts & Crafts are not the crawfish earrings, and mass produced items that are everywhere. Arts & Crafts are original things, interesting craft people, things that resemble Louisiana culture. It's very hard to get a space the way the Jazz Fest does it . They send out advertisements months ahead of the festival. People who are interested apply, national judges pick for the best quality of the three categories, Contemporary, Congo Square, and Louisiana Folk and Heritage Village. Most people who apply are from Louisiana and rent space for the weekend. Some artists are asked to demonstrate the whole time. Craft venders pay $100 a day to sell and some pay the gate a percentage of their earnings.The Congo Square category is is traditionally African,and African influenced crafts. Louisiana Folk and Heritage Village is mainly, well, folk crafts. Contemporary is the Craft Village! At the Craft Village they sell home made accessories, photography, paintings and graphics, etc... These vendors travel to the Jazz Fest from all around the country. For the first time in 1994 there was a children's tent! The children's tent has been one of the main events ever since.
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