The lineup for the 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was announced on Thursday (January 20), and the music extravaganza will once again offer up a genre-spanning array of talent on its 12 stages.

Among the performers for this year's Jazz Fest are Arcade Fire (who will also headline the recently announced [article id="1656186"]2011 Coachella[/article]), Robert Plant, Bon Jovi, Kid Rock, Lauryn Hill, Jeff Beck, John Mellencamp, Wilco, Mumford & Sons, the Strokes, the Avett Brothers, Cyndi Lauper, Tom Jones, Lupe Fiasco, Jason Mraz, the Decemberists, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Lucinda Williams, Gregg Allman, Amos Lee, and John Legend and the Roots. Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffet are just some of the scheduled acts making their return to the festival.

Because of the natural disasters experienced by both New Orleans and Haiti, both musically rich regions will be featured prominently throughout the NOJ&HF. The festival, which promises to "host the largest celebration of Haitian culture in the U.S. since the devastating earthquake one year ago" will include many Haitian performers, including Wyclef Jean, Tabou Combo, Emeline Michel, Ti-Coca & Wanga Neges and RAM.

Started in 1970, the New Orleans Jazz Fest has hosted an eclectic variety of musical acts (previous fests have included the likes of Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Santana, Lenny Kravitz and Joni Mitchell). Since the late '80s, the festival has seen attendance from 300,000 to 650,000 fans.

Jazz Fest runs over the course of two weekends (April 29-May 1 and May 5-8) at the Fair Grounds Race Course. Tickets are on sale at NOJazzfest.com.