New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival  ·  April 23 – May 3, 2026  ·  Fair Grounds Race Course

Jazz Fest is a religion in New Orleans, and if you've ever stood in the afternoon sun at the Fair Grounds with a crawfish bread in one hand and a second line rolling past the Gentilly Stage, you already know: this is not a regular music festival. It's a full sensory experience — the music, the food, the heat, the people, the jewelry.

I've been dressing for Jazz Fest my whole life. Growing up in the French Quarter, surrounded by music and the kind of beauty that doesn't apologize for itself, I learned early that what you wear matters — not for anyone else, but because the right outfit puts you in the right spirit. And the right jewelry? That's the talisman that ties it all together.

This year's lineup is something special. We're talking Stevie Nicks and Tyler Childers on the same Saturday. Eagles and Alabama Shakes (yes, Alabama Shakes — they're back) headlining together. Lorde, Jon Batiste, Earth, Wind & Fire, Trombone Shorty, Mavis Staples, Herbie Hancock. Ten days of music that runs the full spectrum of what it means to be alive.

I put together this lineup-inspired style guide so you can dress for your headliner. Whether you're channeling Stevie Nicks in flowing velvet or two-stepping for Tyler Childers in broken-in boots, I've matched pieces from the Cristy Cali collection to help you dress the part — intentionally, beautifully, and with something meaningful on your body.

FREE DOWNLOAD: 2026 New Orleans Jazz Fest Full Lineup & Schedule 
→ Download the PDF

First: The Jazz Fest Jewelry Starter Pack

Before we get into the headliner looks, let's talk foundation. These are the pieces I reach for every Jazz Fest — versatile, story-rich, and built for standing in a field from noon to nine.

Guatemalan Beaded Hoop Earrings — Hand-beaded by my artisan partners in Panajachel, Guatemala. Turquoise seed beads woven into a sunburst of gold. Lightweight enough to dance in all day. Every pair carries the hands of the women who made it.

Turquoise & Gold Beaded Necklace — The ultimate layering piece. Natural turquoise has been worn for protection and good fortune across indigenous cultures for centuries. I wear mine on the first day of Fest and don't take it off.

Hammered Moon Phase Earrings (Gold Vermeil) — Cascading moons in hammered gold vermeil. These catch the light on every head turn. Wear them when you want to move through a crowd like you belong everywhere.

NOLA Script Ring (Gold Vermeil) — Because home. Your city on your hand.

Rock On NOLA Guitar Pendant (Sterling Silver) — Jazz Fest is music. Wear it literally.

Guatemalan Beaded Sunflower Earrings — Bold, joyful, and unmistakably handmade. These match the energy of every stage.

These six pieces are your foundation. Everything else layers on top.

Stevie Nicks — Saturday, April 25

"The Sorceress." Flowy silhouette. Bohemian layers. Gold that glows like candlelight.

Stevie Nicks has been dressing like a high priestess since 1975, and when she takes the Acura Stage on Saturday afternoon, you're going to want to honor that energy with everything you're wearing. Think: sheer chocolate-brown blouse, a floor-length paisley velvet skirt, and Western boots with enough soul to walk through a tarot reading. This look is romantic, powerful, and unmistakably feminine.

The jewelry for this look is all gold, all intention.

Erzulie's Divine Love Pendant (Gold Vermeil) — A latticed gold heart set with deep red garnets. Erzulie is the Vodou lwa of love, beauty, and luxury — this pendant is not decoration, it's an invocation. Wear it on a long chain over the sheer blouse, close to your heart.

Hammered Moon Phase Earrings (Gold Vermeil) — These earrings were practically made for Stevie. Cascading, dramatic, golden. The moons move when you move.

Fleur de Lis Claddagh Ring (Gold Vermeil) — Love, loyalty, friendship — the traditional Claddagh, reimagined with a fleur de lis at the crown. Worn with the heart facing inward, it means your heart is taken. Or that it's taking up space. Either works.

Banana Leaf Cuff (Gold Vermeil) — Wide, sculptural, and slightly wild. This cuff belongs on the wrist of a woman who takes up space unapologetically.

Style note: All gold, dramatic scale, layered over dark flowing fabric. The jewelry IS the look. Don't hold back.

Tyler Childers — Saturday, April 25

"Country Raised, Spiritually Rooted." Western details. Earth tones. Americana made intentional.

Tyler Childers and Stevie Nicks on the same Saturday — April 25 is going to be one of those days you talk about for years. Tyler is not a simple country artist. His music carries Appalachian folk, spiritual weight, and an honesty that hits like a stone. Dressing for his set means honoring that complexity.

The look: a denim vest, a sequined floral mini, broken-in boots, a wide-brim suede hat with a heart concho hatband. Western, but not costume. The jewelry is silver, celestial, and slightly sacred.

Cali Cow Skull Pendant (Sterling Silver) — A detailed silver bull skull on a heavy chain. Desert spirit, worn close.

Divine Star of Ishtar Earrings (Sterling Silver) — The eight-pointed star of the ancient Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar — deity of love, war, and the morning star. Worn as earrings, they feel like armor. The kind of armor that also catches the light.

Western Horse Saddle Ring (Sterling Silver) — Intricate equine engraving in sterling silver. Unexpected and quietly beautiful.

Country Star Hat Pendant (Sterling Silver) — A sterling silver cowboy hat charm. Simple. Perfect. Worn like a love note to the set you came for.

Guatemalan Beaded Cherries Bag Charm — Clip it to your suede fringe bag. Hand-beaded red cherries from my artisan partners in Guatemala — a small piece of that story on a Western-inspired look.

Style note: The Divine Star of Ishtar earrings are the sleeper hit of this look. Don't underestimate them.

Kings of Leon — Thursday, April 23

"Use Somebody (Probably You)." Rustic prairie. Sun-warmed. Earthy and free.

Kings of Leon open the first weekend on Thursday, April 23, and there's something right about starting Jazz Fest with that wide-open, warm-sky energy. This is music for late afternoon light slanting across the Fair Grounds, a cold beer in your hand, and the feeling that the whole city is exhaling together.

The look is warm and grounded — a pink plaid halter, tall cognac boots, and jewelry that looks like you found it at a market in Guatemala. Because some of it actually was.

Guatemalan Beaded Sunflower Earrings — The centerpiece of this look. Bold, hand-beaded, yellow as the afternoon sun at the Fair Grounds. You don't need another earring — these are enough.

Guatemalan Beaded Hair Elastic — A flower-shaped hair elastic beaded in white and gold. Pull your hair back with something beautiful.

Guatemalan Little Flowers Beaded Bracelet — A delicate, flexible bracelet of hand-beaded flowers. Stacks well, travels well, and supports the artisan cooperative in Panajachel that I've partnered with for years.

Nola Script Ring (Gold Vermeil) — A small, familiar anchor to home, even when you're lost in the music.

Style note: The Guatemalan pieces carry a story your outfit can't tell on its own. Let people ask about the earrings. Tell them where they came from.

Lorde — Friday, April 24

"Royals (And Also a Little Bit Edgy)." Silver chains. Cool girl minimalism. Something borrowed from the 90s.

Lorde brings a completely different energy to the lineup — cooler, more downtown, the kind of artist whose fans show up knowing every word and feeling personally understood. This look leans into that: a Lorde concert tee, a plaid micro kilt in electric blue, black harness boots, and wrap-around sunglasses that say you know something no one else does.

The jewelry is silver, minimal, and deliberate. Nothing loud. Everything chosen.

Cali Padlock Necklace (Sterling Silver) — A chunky silver chain with a fleur de lis padlock pendant. Edge with elegance. Exactly the tension this look needs.

Circle of Life Hoop Earrings (Sterling Silver) — Large, clean, simple hoops. The foundational earring for this look — everything else layers around them.

Stellar Gem Studs — Aquamarine (Sterling Silver) — A second earring for the upper ear. Aquamarine has been called the stone of courage since antiquity — sailors carried it for protection at sea. In sterling silver bezels, these are subtle but intentional.

Smell the Roses Skulls Band (Sterling Silver) — A stacking ring with roses and skulls in sterling silver. Lorde would absolutely wear this.

Style note: Keep silver consistent throughout. The contrast of the delicate aquamarine studs against the chunky padlock chain is the whole point of this look.

Eagles (and Alabama Shakes) — Saturday, May 2

"Hotel California Forever." Vintage band tee. Denim. Moto boots. Silver everything.

Saturday, May 2 might be the most talked-about day of the whole festival — Eagles headlining, and Alabama Shakes making their return after years away. If you're going to be there for both, you need a look that can carry the weight of that.

Dress for the Eagles is a masterclass in rock-and-roll femininity. You're pulling from the 70s, but wearing it like it's today: a worn vintage Eagles tee, a denim micro skirt, red star-print moto boots, and a leather captain's hat that says you've been to the after-party. The jewelry here is silver — earthy, cool, slightly rebellious.

Rock On NOLA Guitar Pendant (Sterling Silver) — On a long silver chain, over the band tee. Music as talisman. This is the piece that makes the whole look land.

I Am Protected Garnet Stretch Bracelet — Deep red garnet, worn close to the wrist. Garnet has been carried as a protective stone since ancient Rome — soldiers wore it into battle, travelers wore it to find their way home. For a day this big, you want that energy with you.

Star & Crescent Earrings (Sterling Silver) — A mismatched set — one crescent moon, one five-pointed star. Celestial, cool, and slightly cosmic. Perfect for watching the Eagles under an open sky.

Vivre Libre Wings Ring (Sterling Silver) — "Live Free." An eagle-wing ring, for the Eagles. Was there ever a more right piece to wear?

Style note: Alabama Shakes fans: layer the garnet bracelet with anything red or deep burgundy you're already wearing. Brittany Howard's energy deserves its own talisman.

Free Download: 2026 Jazz Fest Full Lineup & Schedule

Ten days. Eight stages. Hundreds of artists. Planning your Jazz Fest is its own art form — knowing which sets overlap, which stages are close enough to run between, and which afternoons deserve to be spent wandering the crafts tents eating a cochon de lait po-boy instead.

I put together a complete lineup PDF so you can map out every set, every stage, every conflict. Print it out, mark it up, carry it in your bag. The best Jazz Fest days are the ones you've thought about in advance — and then happily abandoned when something unexpected pulls you somewhere else.

📥  FREE DOWNLOAD: 2026 New Orleans Jazz Fest Full Lineup & Schedule 

→ Download the PDF

A Few Practical Notes (From Someone Who Learned the Hard Way)

Jazz Fest is outdoors, in New Orleans, at the end of April and beginning of May. It will be warm. It may rain. The ground at the Fair Grounds is not always level or dry. Here's what I've learned about wearing jewelry at Fest:

Go lightweight on earrings — You'll be wearing them for 8+ hours. The Guatemalan beaded hoops and the Moon Phase earrings are both surprisingly comfortable despite their scale.

Skip the fine jewelry if you're in the crowd — Save the solid gold and diamonds for the cabana or the evening. The stretch bracelets, beaded pieces, and sterling silver are built for movement.

The stretch bracelets are your best friend — The Garnet Signature Stretch Bracelet specifically — it goes on, it stays on, it doesn't snag on anything. Wear it the whole weekend.

One statement piece per look — At Fest, you're competing with the entire sensory world. One strong piece — the Erzulie pendant, the Cow Skull, the Padlock chain — anchors a look without fighting the energy of where you are.

One Last Thing

I grew up around Jazz Fest. I remember the years I was too young to fully appreciate what I was standing inside of — all that music, all that culture, all those people from everywhere in the world gathered in one city because New Orleans made something that couldn't be made anywhere else.

The jewelry you wear to Jazz Fest isn't decoration. It's your energy, your intention, your story walking through that crowd with you. It's the thing someone notices when they're standing next to you at the Acura Stage, right before Stevie Nicks walks out. It's the piece you touch when the music hits you exactly right.

Wear it like you mean it. I'll see you out there.

— Cristy

Cristy Cali Jewelry  ·  cristycali.com

Shop the looks featured in this guide at cristycali.com