It's the first big Halloween weekend in New Orleans. And the city celebrates with a big music festival and lots of somewhat scary events.
The country's most haunted city is a natural Halloween draw for tourists. But this weekend looks to be more friendly than frightening.
The city is welcoming a lot a lot of visitors to join the local fun.
"Halloween has become one of our major holiday weekends and this year will be no exception," says Mark Romig, President and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism & Marketing Corporation.
"We have lots of activities, plus the city is going to be experiencing a very high occupancy rate with our hotels. We are running approximately 99 percent on Friday and Saturday nights. So, we're expecting a lot of people to be in town to experience the festivities around Halloween, but also, of course, the important Voodoo Fest.
The Voodoo Music & Arts Experience runs through Sunday, with headliners including Guns N' Roses, Beck and Post Malone.
More than 65 bands perform diverse genres of music at this annual Halloween weekend music festival. There also are art, food and drink vendors, special activities and exhibits. Costumes are encouraged.
"Voodoo Fest has become a huge draw, not only nationally, but internationally," says Romig. "We expect good crowds, a lot of fun and great music."
Of course, there are plenty of activities for kids this weekend, like the Park-A-Boo Halloween Festival in Metairie's Lafreniere Park.
Other area weekend events:
25-27 — Boo at the Zoo (Audubon Zoo, 6500 Magazine St.; www.audubonnatureinstitute.org/batz) — The Halloween party is for children 12 years and younger and includes trick-or-treat houses, a "ghost" train, haunted house, entertainment, games and treats. $20, free for children 11 months and younger.
25-27 — French Food Festival (Larose Civic Center, 307 E. 15th St., Larose) — More than 40 vendors offer Cajun dishes, and there's Cajun music from artists including Amanda Shaw, Waylon Thibodeaux, Aaron Foret and others. There's also Cajun dancing, carnival rides and games, a petting zoo, art show, Cajun market and contests for cake decorating, art and basketball. 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Thursday, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Free.
25-27 — Park-A-Boo Halloween Festival***EVENT UPDATE: Park-A-Boo has been cancelled for Saturday and Sunday due to overnight storm damage
26-27 — Fallin' for Madisonville Arts & Crafts Show (Madisonville Park & Playground, Madisonville) — The Pumpkin Patch Festival provides 1,000 pumpkins for children to decorate and take home. The festival also has food, amusement rides, live music and 100 arts and crafts vendors. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $5, free for children 12 and younger.
26-27 — Rougarou Fest (Festival grounds, 7856 Main St., Houma; www.rougaroufest.org) — The festival celebrates the folklore of southeast Louisiana's bayous and includes a costume contest, live music, a parade, a bayou symposium and more. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Free.
