Get ready for another week of live music and cultural events in New Orleans. It’s a busy holiday week and as usual, there’s no shortage of exciting events to enjoy. Check out this week’s OffBeat Weekly Picks:

The annual Top Taco event celebrates its sixth year on Thursday, October 26, at the Al Copeland Meadow at Lafreniere Park, located at 3000 Downs Boulevard in Metairie, LA. Over 40 local restaurants will participate in a friendly competition for trophies across six categories. Attendees can also enjoy delicious food and drink as well as diverse entertainment at this year’s event. Live music will be featured across three stages, including performances by bands like Flow Tribe, Future Cowboys, Otra, and Muevelo. The festivities also include DJs, Lucha Libre (wrestling, Mexico-style), mechanical bull riding, the Casamigos Costume Contest and various lounges. Tickets are all inclusive and include food, drinks and entertainment. To learn more about this weekly pick, visit the event’s official website.

Start your Halloween weekend with a little something different. International experimental folk artists HEILUNG will play New Orleans at the Saenger Theatre on Friday, October 27. Since its inception in 2015, the enigmatic ritual collective HEILUNG has been paving melodic paths to the past with their unique and mystifying sound. Evading all conventional genre tags and the confines of any specific labels, the group self-describes their sound as “amplified history,” emphasizing their ability to connect modern society with the rudiments of humanity’s beginnings through music. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to plant trees. To get a taste of what you can expect during a live performance click here. Tickets for this weekly pick can be purchased on the Saenger Theatre website.

NOLA Reggae Fest returns to Congo Square Friday, October 27 through Sunday, October 29 for three unforgettable days of community celebration featuring live music, dance, and cultural arts demonstrations as well as local food, arts and craft vendors. The festival is a harmonious blend of international reggae artists such as Warrior King and Sister Nancy as well as local artists and DJs to keep you grooving all weekend long. The festivities start Friday afternoon at 2pm at Congo Square which is located at 701 N. Rampart St. For more information about the festival, including information on line-up and how to buy tickets, visit the NOLA Reggae Festival website, here.

New Orleans’ own jazz-funk jam band, Galactic, featuring Angelika “Jelly” Joseph, returns home to Tipitina’s on Saturday, October 28 for their Halloween show featuring spacial guests Trumpet Mafia. Drawing upon the vibrant funk, R&B, and jazz traditions of their native New Orleans, Galactic built a loyal following with their own brand of jam-based grooves. Emerging in the mid-‘90s, the band has produced 10 albums, performed thousands of gigs and continues to evolve with the times. They were recently joined by vocal powerhouse Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, and have continued to forge ahead with exciting new music. Galactic will be joined by New Orleans trumpeters, Trumpet Mafia, known for their creative excellence and unexpected arrangements that mix traditional jazz and hip hop styles. For tickets and additional information for this weekly pick, go here.

The New Orleans Arts Market will take place this Saturday, October 28 in Marsalis Harmony Park (formerly Palmer Park) from 10 a.m. -4 p. m. Shop with local artists and makers to find all of your festive and spooky looks this for this Halloween. This market will feature live music by ShaBram and the Fam, a New Orleans funk and soul trio led by drummer and vocalist, Kyle ShaBram Sharamitaro and will also feature free faceprinting for kids at the AMNO information tent. These bi-weekly markets offer a rotating list of Gulf South artists, kids’ workshops, live music, food, and more! Stay up to date with all the latest market news, including upcoming events, vendor information and more here.

Morning 40 Federation invites you to “carpe the diem’ and join them for a ghoulish Halloween party at Santos on Saturday, October 28. Formed in New Orleans in 1997, this rock band started in the 9th ward of New Orleans at house parties and open mic nights as they grew their following and refined their sound , eventually building popularity throughout the southern United States before releasing four albums. Lonesome Cowboy Songs, will open with a set of all murder ballads that you won’t want to miss. There are a limited number of presale tickets remaining for the Halloween show available here.

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.

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. If you’re too busy to make this event, don’t fret, they are also hosting their free community show November 1 at Zony Mash Beer Project. Be sure to follow them on Instagram to keep up with all the latest events.

Celebrate Halloween at the beloved annual Quintron & Miss Pussycat Halloween show! Enjoy goblins, ghouls, and hard-rocking dance music from the psychedelic swamps as they take over the Music Box Village on Tuesday, October 31 at 7pm. This legendary Halloween party will host special guests Donzii from Miami and Evil Sword from Philedelphia. All three bands are notorious for bringing big performance art elements to what they do and The Music Box Village is the perfect backdrop for sonic explorations, creativity and costumes. Click here for tickets and additional information for this weekly pick.