Once silenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival opened Friday for the first time in three years — a long awaited 2022 revival that holds echoes of 2006 when the annual celebration of music and culture went on even after Hurricane Katrina.

“We’ve weathered a storm like no other,” declared lifelong New Orleans resident Jennifer Jones, referring to the pandemic. She was carrying a feather-adorned parasol and strutting the grounds in an outfit of iridescent pinks, blues and yellows.

The two-weekend production draws tens of thousands to the city’s Fair Grounds Race Course, where as many as 80 musical acts perform daily on more than a dozen stages, complemented by art and craft exhibits and an array of booths featuring foods from Louisiana and beyond.

“This lovely community, here in New Orleans, needs this festival,” visitor Garey Rosen said as he and a buddy snapped a selfie while “Jesus on the Main Line” blared from the festival’s Gospel tent. It was his seventh Jazz Fest for Rosen, who said he’s from New Jersey.

“Everybody here relies on this festival. And it is the best festival in the world,” Rosen said.