Like any other holiday, New Orleans’ Halloween celebrations are big, loud, and full of fun-loving visitors and locals. With all of the in-the-street cavorting and wild costumes, All Hallows’ Eve in the Big Easy has come to resemble Mardi Gras season more and more with each passing year.
Some of the biggest celebrations take place downtown in the French Quarter, particularly on the Esplanade end and on Frenchmen St. Around Frenchmen especially, the streets are congested with flashy, splashy costumes of all themes—some of the handmade getups are truly a sight to be seen— and plenty of brass bands and dancers.
There are too many special bar and restaurant parties throughout every New Orleans neighborhood to even begin to name them all. But not far from Southern Comfort B&B, Tipitina’s (501 Napoleon Ave) holds their huge annual party in celebration of the holiday, this year featuring a performance late into the night from the Soul Rebels and Galactic featuring Corey Glover.
Another portion of the local Halloween celebration is the annual Voodoo Music Experience in City Park, October 26-28th (next weekend), which is generally held the weekend before Halloween. As one of the top three largest New Orleans festivals, favorite local acts and some of the biggest national and international artists share stages, with moss-lined oak trees for a picturesque backdrop. Local fare, of course, is represented, in both food and art, and special art installations can also be found all over the festival grounds, as a celebration of our local culture.
If it’s not on your calendar for this year, make it a point to come down to New Orleans one Halloween and experience the citywide party for yourself.
