Photo Credit: Dino Perrucci

Trombone Shorty has officially detailed his plans for Shorty Fest 2025, set to return to New Orleans’ iconic Tipitina’s on April 28. Shorty’s 12th annual event, presented by Acura, will land between the two weekends of New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to provide more thrills for fans in The Big Easy with both an indoor event and an outdoor block party.

As always, Shorty Fest will be headlined by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, who lead a program full of collaboration and surprises each year. Black Opry Revue and students from the Trombone Shorty Academy will also assume the spotlight, and the intimate and hallowed stage of Tipitina’s will welcome ambassadors from the Northeast with a special New Jersey Takeover, helmed by rising jam stars Dogs In A Pile and featuring guest-spots from pedal steel ace Robert Randolph and Jake Clemons of the E Street Band Tour.

The indoor evening program will be preceded by the annual Cultural Block Party, which is free to the public. Passersby are invited to bring a chair to Napoleon Avenue at Tchoupitoulas, where brass bands and Mardi Gras Indians will perform–as well as a beloved “Battle of the Bands” featuring two local high school marching bands. The experience is completed by a kids’ area, food trucks and the annual Tipitina’s Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony.

“Shorty Fest offers us the opportunity to showcase the work we do year-round with our city’s talented youth on one very special evening,” Trombone Shorty Foundation Founding Executive Director Bill Taylor offered in a statement. “The power of connecting the soul of New Orleans music with other musical cultures creates a magical vibe on one the world’s most hallowed stages.”

Tickets for the 12th annual Shorty Fest will go on sale this Friday, Feb. 21, at 10 a.m. CT. For more information, visit tipitinas.com.