October Festivals & Events in New Orleans

Fall is here in New Orleans! For most cities it means the coloring of leaves, the smell of bonfires, the breaking out of sweaters from the depths of your closet. In New Orleans, however, it means Festival Season! And while it is almost never cool weather, it is cooler from the sweltering August and September!

New Orleans is known for its festivals, but in the fall and spring it becomes almost a task to decide which one to attend. The city is overflowing with events featuring music, food, drinks, culture, and costumes! Ranging from Family Friendly to Adults Only allowed, there is a festival or event for everyone in New Orleans. And I mean EVERYONE.

 Here are some events and festivals in October that will have you living like a local!

Keep in mind, as president of Save Our Cemeteries, I am always partial to the cemetery events!

October 3rd: “The Eternal Cities From the Big Easy to the Big Apple.” A lecture by Brooklyn scholar JR Pepper about the connection between New York and New Orleans’ cemeteries. The lecture benefits Save Our Cemeteries. Metairie Cemetery. 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Doors at 6pm with a free wine reception. Lecture at 6:30pm. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

October 5th: Art for Art’s Sake on Julia Street and Magazine Street. Art galleries around the city keep their doors open late for shopping and sipping wine. Live music. People watch and art shop! Free and open to the public. 6pm to 9pm.

Be sure and check out some of my favorite galleries:

LeMieux Galleries, 322 Julia Street

Arthur Roger Gallery, 432 Julia Street

Ferrara Showman Gallery, 400A Julia Street

Ariodante Gallery, 535 Julia Street

Cole Pratt Gallery, 3800 Magazine Street

October 5th: LASPCA’s Carnival. Party Animals! Live music. Pet Zone. Kid Zone – and all for a great cause. 12pm to 4pm, 1700 Mardi Gras Blvd.

October 5th to 6th: National Fried Chicken Festival. Over 40 restaurants, celebrity chefs, musical acts, and… of course, the fried chicken. This year has Better than Ezra, Bonerama, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, and more! 11am to 9pm.

Tickets range from $20 to $100. Kids 12 and under are free.

New Orleans Lakefront along Lakeshore Drive at Franklin Avenue (in the greenspace directly behind the UNO Lakefront Arena located at 6801 Franklin Ave

Fun fact, USA Today named it the 6th best “Specialty Food Festival” in the country.

October 5th & 6th: Fall Garden Festival. Plant sales, garden-product exhibits, music, and more throughout the beautiful New Orleans Botanical Garden. 9am to 4pm, 1 Palm Drive

Tickets are $12. Children under 4 and Friends of City Park Members are free.

October 10th to 13th: Dom Con. This festival brings together the BDSM lifestyle, Fetish or Leather lifestyle, celebrating diversity. Vendors, Workshops, Stage Performances, Newbie Social. Tickets vary. At the Astor Crowne Plaza, 739

October 11th to 13th: Gentilly Festival. Celebrating “All Things Gentilly” on three stages. Live music, food, arts and crafts, and a Kid’s Village with face painting, pottery making, garden crafts, and more. Pontchartrain Park, 5701 Press Drive.Tickets are between $15 to $140

Friday 6pm to 9pm; Saturday 12pm to 10pm; Sunday 12pm to 9pm

October 11th to 13th: Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival. Food (lots of bbq, of course), music, and art! And all free! Lafayette Square Park, 602 St. Charles Ave. 

Friday: 5:30pm to 8:30pm

Saturday: 11am to 8:30pm

Sunday: 11am to 8:30pm

October 11th to 12th, 18th to 19th, 25th to 26th: Oktoberfest. Break out the brats and the beer! Don’t forget the Bavarian-style pretzels. Featuring over 20 different beers, a dog parade, German cheeses. Admission is $10, Children under 11 are free. The Deutsches Haus, 1700 Moss Street

Fridays: 4pm to 11pm

Saturdays: 1pm to 11pm

October 13th “Race to the Rescue.” Heaven’s Pets Annual Blessing of the Pets. Held in conjunction with NOLA Dogs “Race to the Rescue” 5K Run/Walk. The event includes a pre-race dog parade and blessing of the pets after the race. The event raises money for no-kill animal rescue organizations in our region. Metairie Cemetery, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd

October 16th: "The Monster Squad – Movie Fundraiser for Save Our Cemeteries!"
Spend the night with Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster, and Save Our Cemeteries! Shark Attack!! will start things off at 6 pm. The festivities and movie will kick off at 7 pm. 
Human and pet costume contest with awards for the best dressed.
Food, drinks, specialty cocktails, and craft vendors will abound! 
We’ll also host a raffle sponsored by local artisans and vendors.

The Broadside NOLA, 600 N. Broad Street
Tickets are $15 until October 16, and $20 day of the show or at the door.

October 17th: Dr. Glitter Spooky Headband Class Learn how to make a spooky headband from the experts! NOLA Craft Culture, 127 S. Solomon Street. 6pm to 8pm Tickets are $75

October 17th to 20th: Ghosts in the Oaks. City Park Conservancy’s family friendly Halloween fundraiser features four nights of unlimited Carousel Gardens Amusement Park rides, arts & crafts, hot-dog roasting, pumpkin patch, and trick-or-treating throughout Storyland. 5pm to 9pm Tickets range from $22 to $30 and sell out very quickly!

October 18th to 20th: NOLA Funk Fest. The New Orleans Jazz Museum is one of my favorite places for concerts, lectures, and festivals. This three-day festival on the edge of the French Quarter is packed with music and symposiums. Tickets are $20 to $900 (Three Day Super VIP).

Friday 1pm to 9:30pm

Saturday 12pm to 9:30pm

Sunday 12pm to 9:30pm

October 19th Boo Carre Halloween Haunt. Here is one for the whole family! Costumes encouraged, children’s activities, trick-or-treating. Children in costume are eligible to receive a free Boo Carre tote bag for trick-or-treating in the French Market District. Free and open to the public. 11am to 4pm Dutch Alley, 900 block of N. Peter Street

October 19th: Zombie Run. Escape the clutches of the Big Easy Roller Derby who are Zombie Killers and trying to stop you from finishing this 2-mile run through the Warehouse District. Starting and ending at Lucy’s Retired Surfer’s Bar, 701 Tchoupitoulas Street. 9am. Tickets range from $25 to $10

October 19th: Krewe of Boo Parade. I love a parade! Sunset! Through the French Quarter to the Warehouse District.

October 25th & 26th: Brews and Boos. City Park Conservancy’s adults-only Halloween fundraiser features unlimited Carousel Gardens Amusement Park rides and a GHASTLY amount of beer for guys and ghouls 21+. Costumes encouraged! Tickets are $32 to $60 

October 26th Treme Fest. Music, food, and art – all honoring Treme’s history and culture. 11am to 6pm 1210 Governor Nicholls

October 26th: Dia de Los Meurtos Offrenda (Day of the Dead Altar) Workshop. NOLA Craft Culture offers a Dia de los Meurtos Offrenda Workshop! Create a gorgeous Day of the Dear altar scene featuring a delightful assortment of miniaturized embellishments. 2pm to 5pm.

NOLA Craft Culture, 127 S. Solomon Street. Tickets are $85

October 26th Drag Queen River Cruise. Roll on the river with some drag queens, bottomless mimosas, all-you-can-eat brunch, and spectacular city views! 10am. Ticket starts at $79

October 27th: Oak Street Po’Boy Festival. A day celebrating New Orleans’ most iconic sandwich. Over 40 food and beverage vendors, music, Art Market, Kid Zone, Saints game watching area. The festival is free but wristbands are required to purchase po’boys. 8100 to 8700 blocks of Oak Street. 10am to 6pm

October 29th: PastForward LGBTQ+ Mixer. Embrace the spirit of diversity and celebrate the restoration of this historic landmark! Dew Drop Inn, 2836 LaSalle Street. 8pm to 10pm. Tickets are $25 and include beer, wine, and light bites.

SPECIAL OCTOBER EVENTS

The Mortuary Haunted House: New Orleans popular haunted house with an eerie history. 4800 Canal Street. Tickets range from $25 to $50

Rhythm & Roses Concert Series at the Historic BK House & Gardens, 1113 Chartres Street.

October 4th: Jason Neville Funky Soul Band

October 18th: Helen Gillet and Rebelle Musique

October 25th: Dusty Waters & Rachel Maxann

November 1st: Jelly Joseph.

Tickets are priced at $30 for nonmembers and $25 for BK members. Food and beverages will be sold on site. No outside beverages. Limited seating will be provided; however, attendees may bring small chairs provided space allows.

Evenings with Enrique at the Botanical Garden in City Park, 1 Palm Drive. Enjoy dinner, mojitos and live music. 5pm to 7:30pm.

October 2nd: Geovane Santos

October 9th: Julio & Cesar

October 16th: Vivas

October 23rd: Patrice Fisher & Arpa

October 30th: Papo & Son Mandao

Thursdays at Twilight. City Park’s popular concert series returns. Mint Juleps and Music. Cocktails, wine, beer, soft drinks, water, and food available for purchase. No outside food, drink, or pets allowed. Tickets are $15. Pavilion of the Two Sisters, 1 Victory Avenue

October 3rd  Bruce Daigrepont

October 10: Harvey Jesus

October 17: The New Orleans Mystics

October 24: The Boogie Men.

 
Saving the Best for Last…

The Skeleton House: Since 2002, the almost 11,000 square-foot mansion on St. Charles Ave has been a Halloween destination for locals. Affectionately nicknamed the “Skeleton House,” every October, the owners set up almost 100 skeletons around their yard to tickle the funny bone and poke fun at pop culture references. Some examples are: “Saturday Night Femur,”“Gone with the Skin,”and “Fibula on the Roof,” as well as local celebrities represented like TromBONE Shorty. A hint for this year – Swifties will be very pleased.

Here is the first article I wrote about the wonderful Skeleton House.

Recommendations to Purchase Costumes and Makeup:

 Miss Claudia’s Vintage Clothing & Costumes: 4204 Magazine Street.

Trixie’s Burlesque Boutique: 834 Chartres St.

NOLA Craft Culture: 127 S. Solomon Street.

Fifi Mahony’s: 934 Royal Street.

Now, get out and get your fest on!