How to Not Get Ripped Off at New Orleans Jazz Fest

A big event like Jazz Fest is going to attract scammers, rip-off artists and just plain not nice folks…that’s a given. But you don’t have to be their next victim. There are various warning signals and precautions to take to help you come out of the whole experience…and still keep your dignity.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• An attitude that screams, "Look buddy, I wasn't born Thursday"

1. Your ticket says, “Good at any participating Jazz Fest” or “Kinko’s” on the back. Go right back to that man standing at the corner and demand a refund.
2. When you arrive at the gate, someone is taking up a collection for “Hurricane Korina.” Maybe you’d better wait and give inside.
3. A vendor is selling "beignets" out of a Krispy Kreme box.
4. That ZZ Top shirt for sale has four guys on it. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say it’s a bootleg.
5. Money is being collected for "the band"…but does Steely Dan really need a tip jar?

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your conversation down, especially if you’re bragging to that nice couple from Phoenix that you haven’t been to a concert since the Stones in ’81 and now that all three kids are off in good schools, it’s the perfect chance to catch a show (The hills have ears).
• Resist the temptation to sport all of the high-end concert merchandise you purchased as soon as you walked through the gate. Hats, shirts, jackets, scarves. We get it…you like the Counting Crows.
• If you lend your binoculars to the girl in front of you, don’t let her pass them around. She might seem trustworthy, but the guy 12 rows away might not be.
• If a parking attendant is holding up a hand-painted sign with misspelled words, and the parking lot is someone’s driveway…you may want to consider parking on the fairgrounds or taking public transportation…or else worry about your car all day.