Eater NOLA's Guide To Jazz Fest Guides, 2014

Jazz Fest starts this Friday, kicking off two long, expensive weekends of a whole lot of music, and almost as much food and drink. The Fess takes over the Fair Grounds, spilling out into the Faubourg St John, but it's big enough that the entire city shifts into Jazz Fest mode for these two weeks. This poses a number of (good) problems for visitors and locals alike. Other than the basic music questions?"Who should I make sure I catch at the Fess— " To which the obvious answer is BOZ flippin' SCAGGS— people can be left overwhelmed with the options, wondering what the best bets are both during the Fest and across town.

Luckily, everybody and their mawmaw is out with guides to help answer these questions. Of course, the sheer quantity of them is rather daunting, so to help sift through all these guides, here is Eater NOLA's Guide to Jazz Fest Guides 2014.

Jazz Fest 2014 A to Z: Oh, right, there is music at this thing, too. This is Offbeat's encyclopedic guide to all the acts. Use this as a last-ditch resource for the seriously obscure acts. [Offbeat]

General Fest Info: Tickets are $70 at the gate! Once that sticker shock sets in, here is all the info about what you can and can't bring, transportation, and more. [Gambit]

This is the 45th Jazz Fest : Founding producer Quint Davis reflects back on 44 years of fessin' like so, "The festival is the history of the future. We always say that heritage is not just looking in the rear view mirror. It's looking back, but also looking out the windshield at what's coming." [Offbeat]

Live from Liuzza's By The Track: The Times-Pic has a web cam set up at Liuzza's By The Track right now and all through Jazz Fest. How many late night creepers do you think will moon the thing? [NOLA.com]

Parking near the Fest: Lots of businesses, churches and schools open their lots for festival parking, including Cabrini High School. There is a Jazz Fest Express shuttle at the Sheraton, the Steamboat Natchez dock (by Jax Brewery) and at City Park, but city officials do encourage folks to take public transportation, or you know, biking is always beautiful this time of year. [FOX8/WVUE]

What not to wear: The number one reason for visits to medical tents? New shoes that cause blisters. That, and, oh yeah make sure to drink tons of water so you don't get heatstroke or drunk enough to befoul the kids area. [Advocate]

How to enjoy Jazz Fest with kids: It's all about planning, and if you don't plan to leave the kids at home there's a kids area and mango freezes. But seriously: "Leave them home! Many children would rather stay home. Plan a day of fun for your child with a friend, family member, or favorite babysitter, and everyone wins." [Advocate]

Best Jazz Fest food if you've never been before: Crawfish sacks, crawfish bread, cochon de lait, crawfish pies, Crawfish Monica and more. Plus this handy guide for newbs has lots of insightful info to help you have a better fess. [HoustonChronicle]

A food critic's favorite Jazz Fest food: This list from Scott Gold narrows the food options down to some all-time fan favorites. Bennachin's African combo plate, Ba Mien's shrimp bun, and Prejean's pheasant, quail, and andouille gumbo all make the cut. [Thrillist]

This year's newcomers and food dat ain't dere no more: While Cafe Carmo makes it first appearance with some Brazilian street food, food that's unavailable this year: The sweet potato turnovers and pies at Congo Square and the Creole stuffed breads. [NOLA.com]

After hours shows to know: There are tons of shows all over town. Alex Woodward's listicles all the post-fess entertainment to check out during Jazz Fest, from Tips to Three Muses. [Gambit]

Feast after Jazz Fest:Where to eat after Jazz Fest near Tipitina's. There's also another addition for St. Claude Avenue, and more forthcoming, which we'll update here on Eater too. [Gambit]

Where to try po' boys with a side of musical-history: Matassa's Market is a Quarter corner store at 1001 Dauphine, where you'll find cheap breakfast, po' boys and more. It's also what Ian McNulty calls "a living link to an indispensible chapter of New Orleans music," since the founder's son Cosimo Matassa went on to produce a ton of R&B and rock n roll hits. Phill's Grill resides at one of Cosimo Matassa's former recording studio locations (748 Camp). [Advocate]

A Closer Look at Favorite Food: There's over 70 food vendors at Jazz Fest, so there' s a lot to choose from. Here Judy Walker breaks it down, from portable and kid friendly lemon pound cake to refreshing shrimp remoulade, and all the crispy chicken wings, biegnets, and meaty white beans your heart desires. [NOLA.com]

Dishes that deserve to be better known: Todd A. Price asks what dishes deserve more love, and the commenters, how they do respond: Fry bread is delicious and cheap, and other underrated eats include Miss Linda's Yakamein, Canseco's cuban and more. [NOLA.com]

Food demos not to miss at 2014's New Orleans Jazz Fest: We're talking free food samples and potentially air-conditioning. Judy Walker's not-to-miss food demos include Rob Bechtold's brisket burnt ends with crispy kale and homemade pickles, Isaac Toups' cracklins, Frank Brigtsen's crawfish shortcake and more. [NOLA.com]

UPDATE 4/24! Even More Guides:

Where to eat post-fess: Options around City Park include Mopho and Bud's Broiler. Or if you head to the theater district (on Canal Street) Domenica, City Diner, and Cleo's are great options too. [Gambit]

How to fess frugally: Here's the fest foods off the best bang for your buck, including Vaucresson's hot sausage po boy, Praline Connection's chicken livers with pepper jelly, Vucinovich's stuffed artichoke. [WhereYat]

How to fully embrace Lousiana cuisine at the Fest: The fest is pretty much a "gastronomic tour that explores every aspect of Louisiana's indigenous Cajun and Creole cuisines." Among the best are Love at First Bite's cochon de lait po' boy, Panaroma Food's cheesy crawfish bread, and Lil Dizzy's "brick-hued Creole-style crawfish bisque with fat, stuffed heads." [Advocate]

· All Jazz Fest Coverage [-ENOLA-]