Traditionally held in the spring, it had been scheduled to run Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 15-17 this year. The festival was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has canceled its fall 2021 dates due to surging COVID-19 cases in Louisiana, festival organizers said Sunday.

Traditionally held in the spring, it had been scheduled to run Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 15-17 this year. The festival was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“As a result of the current exponential growth of new COVID cases in the New Orleans and the region and the ongoing public health emergency, we must sadly announce that the 2021 edition of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, scheduled to take place October 8 -17, 2021, will not occur as planned,” festival organizers said in a statement.

The statement added that next year’s festival would occur during its “traditional timeframe” and is set for April 29-May 8.

Ticketholders for both festival weekends, including those who had tickets rolled over from 2020, will receive an email this week with details about the refund and rollover process, the release said. All tickets for Wednesday, Oct. 13, will be automatically refunded.

Jazz Fest is an annual celebration of New Orleans’ and Louisiana’s music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course.