Halloween in New Orleans: 5 Ways to Celebrate
New Orleans is easily one of the spookiest cities in the country -- thanks to its old French colonial architecture, dark, cobbled streets, Voodoo traditions, and association with Anne Rice's vampire series. So it's no surprise that the Big Easy offers plenty of fun and festive ways to ring in All Hallow's Eve. Here are but a few of the city's finest ways to celebrate Halloween this month.
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1. Krewe of BOO!
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2. Anba Dlo
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3. Voodoo Music + Art Experience
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4. Boo at the Zoo
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5. Midnight in the Savage Garden of Blood and Evil Halloween Ball
Photo credit: Terri Stewart, Flickr
New Orleans is so into Halloween that the city even has an official Halloween Parade: Krewe of BOO! ("Krewe" is the local term for groups that work on parade and Mardi Gras floats.) This annual parade starts in the Marigny neighborhood and crosses along the banks of the Mississippi and through the French Quarter, stopping just short of the Garden District.
Now in its ninth year, Anba Dlo is a free Halloween Festival dedicated to water (yes, really) and its historic and current relevance to the people of New Orleans. Features include art installations, a parade, and live dance, music, and even acrobatic performances.
One of the city's best modern music festivals, and a great excuse to get costumed up, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience offers three days of live music along with a food cart area featuring local cuisine -- and an artisan market full of New Orleans-made apparel and handicrafts. This year's line up features Tool, Arcade Fire, Cage the Elephant, Band of Horses, and Die Antwoord, among others.
Photo Credit: Infrogmation of New Orleans, Flickr
Many of New Orleans's Halloween activities are focused squarely on adults, but those wanting a less scary and kid-friendlier alternative might want to check out the Audubon Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, held over the two weekends before Halloween. Activities include a maze, ghost train ride, live entertainment, and trick-or-treating, plus animal-themed entertainment and educational programs.
Now in its 28th year, Anne Rice's Vampire Lestat Fan Club's annual Vampire Ball is a great opportunity to break out all your gothic finery and go dance the night away among fellow fanged friends at Republic, a gorgeous warehouse turned event space in the Warehouse District. For die-hard Rice fans, this event is worth a trip to New Orleans in itself, and rumor has it that the author will make an appearance at some point in the night.
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