Guide to Halloween Activities in New Orleans
By
Karras Bommer
We don’t do nothin’ small here in New Orleans, did you notice our last hurricane? One thing that keeps us alive is our passion for celebration, for costuming, for a big-time reason to party and next to Mardi Gras, Halloween is the night. This is a down-home guide to Halloween activities in New Orleans, 2006.
Last Halloween, 2005, saw New Orleans in shambles. Many French-Quarter bars and nightclubs were actually serving drinks by candlelight which is why I didn’t miss the annual Halloween Night ritual of a seat and a drink at Lafitte’s. Lafitte’s always serves by candlelight, only the bar and the bathrooms are wired for electricity. The rest of the building remains as it was in 1772 but without the pirate Jean Lafitte. Of course, New Orleans being the haunted city that it is, there’s never a guarantee John Lafitte won’t show up on Halloween. I am referring to Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, also acknowledged as the oldest bar in America, and since it’s located on Bourbon Street, it is the perfect perch for watching the show.
The “show” is Bourbon Street itself. Costumes of every kind parade down Bourbon Street well into the early morning hours. This show is alive, incredible, and free. You can also watch the divine madness on the internet because there are live webcams strategically located up and down the street. In example, you can look at the top right glass panel of the door at Cats Meow on the corner of Bourbon and St. Peter streets – the actual address is 701 Bourbon Street – and wave at the guys from Nola.com while your picture transmits worldwide.
After waving to the world you can turn and but a short walk down St. Peters you reach a place called Rev. Zombie’s Voodoo Shop. This is the meeting place for your Haunted History Tour where a perfectly-costumed tour guide will escort you through the darkened streets. For the next two hours, while in the safety of number, you will walk the centuries-old streets listening to tales of haunted houses and ghostly visions. It is Halloween come-to-life against the backdrop of St. Louis Cathedral.
But as is the fashion of New Orleans, Halloween Night is the culmination of festivities.
The action really begins days in advance. For instance Halloween 2006 begins Friday, October 27th, with The Vampire Lestat Ball at Rosy’s Jazz Hall. Presented by Les Temps des Vampires, the Lestat Ball is a reincarnation of the past Vampire Lestat Fan Club Coven Balls. It is your chance to immerse yourself in the world of Anne Rice.
Saturday, October 28th you can take your costumed children to Audubon Zoo for Boo at the Zoo! Held in conjunction with Children’s Hospital, this annual Zoo extravaganza features games, trick-or-treating, a haunted house, the Zoo’s Ghost Train and more. This event is not just for the kids. Great effort is placed in atmosphere and decoration. The Ghost Train is a favorite of couples.
Sunday, October29th offers the Voodoo Music Fest at City Park and this year promises the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Duran Duran, and Flaming Lips, among others. This is a musical event of the highest order. So here’s the contact numbers in this guide to annual Halloween activities in New Orleans:
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop
941 Bourbon St
New Orleans, LA 70116-3120
(504) 522-9377
Haunted History Tours
For Reservations: 504-861-2727 or 1-888-6-GHOSTS
The Vampire Lestat Ball
www.myspace.com/lestempsdesvampires
Rosy’s Jazz Hall
500 Valence St.
New Orleans
504-896-7679#
www.rosysjazzhall.com
Audubon Zoo
6500 Magazine Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
Tickets by phone:
1-800-838-3006
Voodoo Music Experience
New Orleans’ City Park
info@voodoomusicfest.com
Happy Halloween!
