Get your spook on this weekend with our roundup of Halloween-themed shows and parties in New Orleans from Friday night, October 27 through Halloween, October 31. If you’d like to see an event added to the list, please email us at [email protected].
Friday:
Gypsy Carnival: The House of Blues Foundations Room (225 Decatur St.) hosts a night of mystic mayhem, starting at 10 p.m. The carnival will feature tarot card readers, belly dancers, and music from local “Gypsy Jazz” band, Bon Bon Vivant. Costumes are encouraged. Admission is $10 for non-members, and reservations can be made by emailing [email protected].
Saturday:
Masquerade Market: Anyone still in search of the perfect costume can try their luck at Palace Market (619 Frenchmen St.) from 11 a.m.-4 p.m, where handmade getups will be available for purchase. Entertainment will be provided in the form of face-painting and fortune-telling. Admission is free.
Screaming Females: New Jersey-based rockers Screaming Females headline a uniquely spooky show at First Unitarian Universalist Church (2903 Jefferson Ave), starting at 7:30 p.m. Bay area hardcore heads Street Eaters and local all-female punk band Gland will open. Tickets are $15 at the door, or $10 purchased in advance at Sisters in Christ Records (5206 Magazine St.).
Endless Night Vampire Ball–“Gods and Monsters”: Unleash your craving for human flesh at 9 p.m. at the House of Blues (225 Decatur St.), where world-renowned impresario and fangsmith Father Sebastiaan will MC a night of bloody debauchery, with guest of honor Dani Divine. Entertainment will include Vampire Theatre beginning at midnight with the Vampire Howl, “Absinthe and Bloodbath” drink specials at the bar, costume contests, and blood-curdling tunes from resident DJs Aengel and V Christ. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $65.
Rendez-Vous Doux–Nancy Whang DJ Set: LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang will be spinning at the Three Keys starting at midnight, following her band’s show at The Orpheum Theatre earlier in the evening. The event page promises “music to levitate to,” so be prepared for some supernatural sounds. Admission is free with RSVP, but space is limited.
Trax Only Presents Octo Octa: Cap off your Saturday night with Brooklyn-based IDM producer Octo Octa and friends. The warehouse rave, presented by local queer DJ collective Trax Only, will start at 10 and run on into the morning. Guest performances include Los Angeles-based DJ Masha, New Orleans DIY live electronic act Psychic Hotline, and additional local DJs Father Figure, Bouffant Bouffant, Kathi, and Hyena. Tickets are available now for $10. Location TBA.
Friends of the Cabildo, support organization for the Louisiana State Museum, will host its 32nd annual Ghostly Gallivant Weekend, October 28th – 29th, a haunting and hilarious tour of the French Quarter. Tours begin at 10am on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are only $20 for adults (+21), $15 for seniors, students and children (under 12) are free. To purchase your tour tickets, contact the Friends of the Cabildo office at (504) 523-3939 or online at www.friendsofthecabildo.org.
Sunday:
Blood Lust Vampire Ball–“The Old World”: Connoisseurs of the more elegant elements of vampirism can get down and dainty at The Monastery (1236 N Rampart St.), starting at 9 p.m. The event will be hosted by New Orleans’ own master fangsmith Maven Lore, alongside Logan South and Daley Catherine, the vampire king and queen of Austin, TX. A dress code (Formal, Vampire, Victorian, Edwardian, or Steampunk) will be strictly enforced. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $50.
BOOty Bash: The Hi Ho Lounge (2329 St Claude Ave.) kicks off its annual BOOty Bash at 10 p.m. This year, the party will feature performances by local bounce DJ Rusty Lazer, raunchy funk virtuosos Sexual Thunder, and Afro-Brazilian ensemble BateBunda. Admission is $10 at the door.
Monday:
Big Freedia presents Bounce Night: The queen diva will grace One Eyed Jacks (615 Toulouse St.) with her notorious antics at 9 p.m. This installment of Bounce Night will feature heavy bass and 808s from Rusty Lazer, Sissy Nobby, Hasizzle, and BJ So Cole. Tickets are available now for $15.
Tuesday (Halloween):
Voodoo Fest (Voodoo Authentica): With all the hype around the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience, it can be easy to forget the living history of Voodoo on the streets of our city. Voodoo Fest, held at Voodoo Authentica (612 Dumaine St.) from 1 p.m-7 p.m., celebrates the religion’s rich New Orleans tradition, and educates those who aren’t already familiar. This year’s festival will feature traditional Voodoo ceremonies renowned speakers from the worldwide Voodoo community, and musical performances from Sunpie Barnes and Luther Gray. The event is free and open to the public.
Crowbar and Eyehategod: Get your antitheism on at the Joy Theater (1200 Canal St.) at 9 p.m. with legendary New Orleans sludge metal pioneers, Crowbar and Eyehategod. Both groups formed here in the late 1980s, and have been major players on the metal scene in the Gulf South and beyond ever since. A Hanging, another local hardcore act, will open. Tickets are available now, starting at $20.
Millions of Dead Cops: Punk elder statesmen, Millions of Dead Cops, hailing from Austin, headline the official Crowbar/Eyehategod after party at Poor Boys Bar (1328 St Bernard Ave.), with support from just about every noise, punk, and hardcore act in town. Openers include The Antidon’ts, Torture Garden, Fat Stupid Ugly People, Street Sects, Proud Father, Straight Panic, Fat Stacks, and DJ Chrischarge. The event starts loosely at 9 p.m. with the DJs and noise acts. The punk and harcore bands will likely go on after midnight. Admission is $10 at the door, with a $5 discount for those with a wristband from the Crowbar/Eyehategod show.
Quintron and Miss Pussycat: The legendary DIY swamp tech duo host their annual Halloween show at One Eyed Jacks (615 Toulouse St.), starting at 10 p.m. Opening acts include larger-than-life local rapper Delish Da Goddess; L.A.-based “sonic visualist” Nora Keyes and her current project, The Invisible Elf Witch; Montgomery, AL punk trio Spell Breaker; and New York DJ Alix Brown.
NOTE***: The N.O.P.D. Eighth District will enact a hard closure of Bourbon Street tonight from 8pm until 4am. There will be no parking on or vehicular crossing of Bourbon Street from Canal Street to St. Ann Street. Also, towing will be heavily enforced this evening.
There are also some local events taking place in honor of Día de los Muertos, including a special program at Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria. Felipe’s is offering two limited Day of the Dead experiences at each of its restaurants; the Muertos Margarita and public altars from Monday, October 30th -Thursday, November 2nd.
On November 1, folks can celebrate the Day of the Dead, voodoo style, at Fet Gede.
