In 2016, we visited New Orleans the week before Halloween and attended the Boo's Krewe Parade. While there, we saw the city decorated for our favorite holiday. However, we had no idea what to expect while in town last week which happened to fall during the same time as Voodoo Fest.
If you find yourself in New Orleans during the weeks leading up to Halloween, here are some suggestions on must see's!
Skeleton House on St. Charles Ave
Take the St. Charles Street car up to State Street and you will find yourself in the middle of one of the most creative and humorous Halloween display's you will ever see. This mansion located at 6000 St Charles Ave, has displays that change over the years. I have to wonder what their Christmas decorations look like, or how large their storage shed must be.
Ghost Manor on Magazine St.
Plan on visiting Ghost Manor located at 2502 Magazine Stat after sundown to witness one of the coolest light displays you will ever see. We took the St. Charles Street car back down towards downtown and got off at the 3rd St. and walked a 1/2 mile over to Magazine. The 2018 display showcased 4 skeletons who are choreographed (dancing, singing, etc) to a variety of songs. We were fortunate enough to see them preform Thriller. In between the skeleton acts, there are light shows in the windows. I honestly could have watched this house all night.
French Quarter Halloween Decor
All throughout French Quarter you will find houses decorated to the max. The weekend leading up to Halloween, you will find people dressed in Halloween costumes all through the Quarter. It was like a multi-day citywide Halloween party.
Halloween Friday Lunches
A variety of classic New Orleans restaurants host Halloween themed luncheons on the Friday leading up to the holiday. We scored a table for 2 at the iconic Galatoire's for their annual Yelloween party. I wasn't prepared for what we experienced, nor am I able to fully describe it. Let's put it like this - the who is who from New Orleans come in well before opening time to decorate their tables. I am talking full themes and costumes to match. Our server told us the attendees typically spend all afternoon at Yelloween, sipping on Vueve Cliquot by the bottle or glass (they sponsor Yelloween). Since it was just the two of us, we decided to dress up in classy skeleton apparel. We stayed in this get up all day - and couldn't walk 5 feet without someone stopping Gabe about his suit.
Voodoo Fest
We didn't get a chance to attend Voodoo Fest as we flew home Saturday. However, the city was in full swing when we departed. Next years festival will go from November 1-3 and Halloween falls on a Thursday. We already have plans on coming back next year and experiencing it all. The 2018 festival was a variety of music - from Mumford and Sons to Marilyn Manson. They'll be announcing the lineup soon for next year!
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| photo from voodoo fest facebook |
The weekend before Voodoo fest is a family friendly motorized parade called Krewe of Boo. As mentioned, we attended in 2016. It was really cool to see. However, coming from Tampa given the size of our Guavaween parade, I was a bit underwhelmed. Looks like we can beat NOLA at one parade!
We absolutely loved spending time in NOLA during Halloween time and I would suggest it to all the fellow Halloween lovers out there!
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