Finally the weather is cooling off (kind of) and it’s OffBeat’s annual opportunity present to you our curated list of Halloween happenings / season picks for the 2023 season. We will be sure to keep this list updated each way to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the boo-tiful happenings in the New Orleans region this spooktacular season. Be sure to check back frequently for updated listings!

 

Scandinavian plays and writings are all the rage this season as a Norwegian author, Jon Fosse, just took home the Nobel Prize in Literature. Written by Jack Thorne, based on the novel by Swede John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let the Right One In is an enchanting, brutal vampire myth and coming-of-age love story adapted from the best-selling novel and award-winning film. Content Notice: This production contains stage combat, depictions of murder, and partial nudity. Recommended for ages 13+. Tickets for the show at Le Petite Theatre which runs now through October 21 are available here. Be sure to check out the original Swedish film adaptation streaming before you go! 

 

Do you like Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and Wonder Showzen? Then join Poose the Puppet (recently seen on NBC) and Nightshade/White Knives  (seen on Adult Swim) with special guests opening up for them nightly performing puppet techno, rap, experimental, and doom music with the help of puppetry arts. This will be an experimental amalgamation of shadow and hand puppets with other bands performing. Nightshade/White Knives is a shadow puppet punk band and Choose Helth is puppet techno. Rapper Michael Myerz joins the lineup from Atlanta with Break Fast Puppets, an experimental group that talks Terrence McKenna and DMT. My Cousin Christina will be performing doom metal and grunge Saturday night with a side of Charli XCX. All of the performers are lovers of the dark side and puppetry arts — join Poose & Friends at the Mudlark Theater nightly for an experience that will surely take you away. This puppet paracosm party performs nightly, Oct. 20, 21 & 22 at 8 p.m. Online tickets are available at  Ticketleap.com — $20 and at the door $15-$20 sliding scale while tickets last.

 

The Vanderpump Rules reunion was one of 2023’s scariest events but let’s not forget that DJ James Kennedy, host of SUR’s See You Next Tuesday events, is on tour. Kennedy, who is the godson of George Michael, will be hitting Metropolitan, 310 Andrew Higgins Boulevard, on the night of October 20.  For more information, click here.  Doors open at 10 p.m. and we sincerely hope he plays Slater’s “DJs Up in The Club” from the Vada Vada label for us! 

 

 

 

With 450 riders, 15 floats, and 35 marching bands and dance krewes, Krewe of Boo (stylized Krewe of BOO!) has grown from a

single parade into a weekend full of events. Krewe of Boo is the official Halloween parade of New Orleans and it’s no surprise that in a city known for its love of costumes and letting the good times roll, New Orleans is one of the best places in America to celebrate Halloween.This year’s event will take place at sundown on Oct. 21 and you can read more now. 

 

Oktoberfest (noun): An autumn festival held in Munich, Germany, in late September and early October, featuring the drinking of beer. It was a little too hot this early October in Louisiana to mark the occasion but you don’t need to put away your lederhosen and dirndls just yet. Say “Prost!” the last three weekends of the month at DEUTSCHE HAUS with traditional music, beers, and more. Tickets are available here. Be sure to check the German house’s schedule for screenings of such German treasures as The Hunt for M .

 

Join tattoo artist Erica Flannes and tarot reader Michelle Embree for Tattoo & Tarot at Electric Ladyland Tattoo. Flannes will be offering tarot and astrology-based flash designs from $88-$111. Embree, who is also the author of Daydream Tarot: A Basic Guide for Visionaries, will offer expert tarot card readings for $30. Her book will also be available for purchase.  The event will be held Thursday, Oct. 26 at 3212 Dauphine Street (behind Fifi Mahoney’s).  To view Flannes’s tattoo work, visit here. More details about Michelle Embree are available here. 

 

On Oct. 29, Audacious NOLA returns to The Joy Theater with The Vivacious Burlesque Experience: DEVIL’S NIGHT. This brand new show ups the ante and follows the sell out, smash hit Halloween production under the same name in 2022.  A true entertainment tour de force, this star studded event pushes the bounds of burlesque in a show stopping spectacle featuring devilishly outrageous acts of all-star performances, death defying circus feats and a dazzling array of haunting variety arts never before seen on the big stage. “The Vivacious Burlesque Experience promises world class entertainment,” Says producer Vivacious Miss Audacious. “We pride ourselves on presenting a jaw dropping evening that takes burlesque to new heights, literally.”  For tickets and more specifics, follow the rabbit hole here. 

 

JAMNOLA, New Orleans’ first experiential pop-up takes audiences of all ages on a topsy-turvy stroll celebrating all aesthetic facets of the city. The interactive experience will present Boo-Dat on Monday, Oct. 30 (4-7:30 p.m.) with timed ticketing events which allow a family friendly All-Hallow’s Eve celebration in the city’s cultural funhouse.  JAMNOLA welcomes kids in costume to safely collect candy as they explore spook-ified exhibits featuring Halloween-themed decor accompanied by a haunted musical playlist.  With a professional photographer on hand to snap family photos, an on-site face painter, arts and crafts, miniature pumpkins, and prizes for best costume, the whole fam can expect to have a wicked good time! Admission runs between $20-$29 but is free for kids under 2. Tickets are available at JamNola.com and the first 100 people to use code BOO25 save 25 percent.  The event space is located at 2832 Royal Street. 

 

These aren’t just tales from the crypt — they are Broadside’s Tales from the Synth! The Sound design you hear in horror films is just as important as the images you see on the screen. Join some of New Orleans spookiest sound sculptors as they create a live soundtrack to a projection mapped horror movie supercut at The Broadside Theater, 600 N. Broad Street, on Oct. 30 (6-9 p.m.). Featuring vintage synths, modular monsters, and much more, this event is one horror aficionados won’t want to miss. Tickets are $15. Click here for details. 

Earlier this month, metal outfit Anareta brought the terror to the OnBeat Sessions with their fierce unique chamber black metal. (If you haven’t seen this video, change that immediately!). Anareta will be performing Oct. 30 with mssv (Mike Watt, Mike Bagetta and Stephen Hodges) at Siberia, 2227 St. Claude Avenue. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $17 at the door. Buy them here. 

Endless Night Vampire Ball returns again to sink its fangs into New Orleans for a bloody good time. Described as a “Venetian Masquerade meets Vampire Court, with the energy of a rock concert and the elegance of Burlesque Cabaret,” these events are a series of masquerade ball theme soirees produced by Impresario Father Sebastian who brought the event from NYC in 1996. The event takes place Oct. 28 at the House of Blues, 225 Decatur, and is a blood-curdling experience. Get your tickets here, starting at $150. 

 

Note: This listing has been updated to remove events that have already taken place.