Festival reps said they worked closely with law enforcement & applauded their efforts.
A general view of the crowd during 2025 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on April 24, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Erika Goldring/Getty Images
Authorities say a former North Carolina law enforcement officer planned to kill Black people in a mass shooting at a major New Orleans festival but was arrested at a Florida hotel with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Authorities in several states did not name the event, but the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, commonly known as Jazz Fest, runs from Thursday (April 23) through May 3. The gathering attracted about 460,000 people last year, organizers said.
