The French Quarter might be empty this weekend because City Park is the epicenter of all things October. Voodoo Fest, Brews and Boos, Scout Island Scream Park and its Kid Zone will draw locals and tourists to Mid-City for their music and fall festivities. Parking will likely be more of a nightmare than Freddie can conjure on Elm Street.
Voodoo Music and Arts Experience, commonly called simply Voodoo Fest, will draw more than 100,000 revelers Oct. 26-28 to its 20th anniversary iteration. Event planners have followed a winning formula by booking musicians from a variety of genres to play on multiple stages and reserving the headlining spots for more popular acts spread over the weekend.
They’ve also kept their Marketplace with more than 20 art vendors and the Forked Up Food Court with 25 food vendors. Tickets are still available for one-day or three-day passes. A one-day general admission ticket is $75 and a three-day general admission ticket is $155, although prices will increase on Friday, Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. Various VIP ticket packages are also available. Voodoo Fest is all ages and children 10 and under are free.
Brews and Boos is a two-night fundraiser for City Park on Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 27. Located in the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park and Storyland sections of the park, the late night event will run from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. each day.
Admission to the event includes a variety of beers and treats such as nachos, Jello shots and jambalaya. Friday’s craft beer sampling is Urban South Brewery and Saturday’s is Port Orleans Brewing Company. Costumes are encouraged and you could even win a contest. Secret judges will be mingling in the crowd and passing out tickets to those they deem worthy to compete. Categories include Best Male Costume, Best Female Costume, Best Couple Costume and Best Group Costume. General admission tickets are $30 and will increase to $40 the day of the event. VIP tickets are also available. Be sure to purchase the ticket for the correct day as they are non-transferable. Brews and Boos is age-restricted and you must be 21 years or older to attend.
Scout Island Scream Park touts itself as a Halloween Festival with three haunted attractions, three fright zones, carnival rides and one Kid Zone, which is a scare-free play area with a pumpkin patch, hay bale maze, face painting and a bounce house.
The new addition to the New Orleans Halloween scene was created by the team behind The Mortuary and uses more than 50 acres of City Park woods and swamps to create its attractions, each with a different theme. The immersive fright zones include Cirque du Fear, Blood Bayou and The Horseman’s Fright Zone. The haunted attractions are the Devils Swamp Haunted Terror Tour, Zombie Outbreak Battlefield and Scream Factory Haunted Fun House. I was honestly disturbed just looking through the website, so I can only imagine how scary these are in person.
The times Scout Island Scream Park are open vary depending on the day, so check the calendar before you go. You can also purchase various ticket packages online with general admission starting at $15. There is a ticket option for only the Kid Zone, which is $7 for adults and $15 for children 3 and older. Children ages 2 and under are free.
