Are you sick of Mardi Gras’s raucous revelers and bustling crowds? Visit this energetic city, renowned for its fascinating past, eerie tales, and joyous Halloween festivities.
Enjoy a distinct and remarkable Halloween experience, far from the mayhem of Mardi Gras, as you tour haunted houses, enjoy delectable goodies, and take in the eerie ambiance of this charming city.
Visit This Haunted City and Skip the Mardi Gras Crowds
The notorious New Orleans Mardi Gras season starts on January 6 and lasts until the day before Ash Wednesday. The city is frantic during this time of year, leading up to the annual Mardi Gras festival, which draws in about a million visitors.
Visit New Orleans around Halloween if you want to avoid the crowds. October is an excellent time to visit because of its celebration of the paranormal and spiritual. It doesn’t take a name like Louis or Lestat to realize that New Orleans is an incredibly eerie place.
The eternal heroes of Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” have a reason for spending several good centuries of their undead life in New Orleans, one of the most vibrant, eerily beautiful, and culturally diverse cities in the country (Rick Steves lists it as one of the top tourist destinations in America).
The French and Spanish occupied the region, which is home to the Choctaw, Houma, Chitimacha, Biloxi, and other Indigenous people.
After being subsequently acquired by the recently established American state, it became into the hub of the slave traffic in the early 1800s. The city has been shaped by this diverse blend of cultures and influences.
The French, who arrived in the city in 1718 and carried the Catholic custom with them from Europe, shared Mardi Gras celebrations with the Black community and early Indigenous residents.
It’s not the only Southern city with haunted houses and hotels filled with ghosts, but during Halloween, the opening of the spirit world in voodoo rites and cemeteries can evoke a frightening feeling.
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Halloween festivities are infused with Mardi Gras traditions
The Mistick Krewe of Comus, the first “krewe” to be organized in 1857, is credited with initiating the tradition of Mardi Gras floats and thematically selected costumes.
In October, the Krewe of Boo brings their own parade to New Orleans’ French Quarter, complete with imaginative costumes and props, emulating the language and traditions of Mardi Gras. The 3-mile route is full of eerie excitement.
In addition to the parade’s carnivalesque ambiance, masquerade balls are another custom carried over from Carnival season, and they’re particularly appropriate for individuals who have a tendency toward the supernatural.
This fantasy, which takes place around Halloween, encourages participants to dress in period attire and ball gowns with its eerie vampire masquerade, the Court of the Light Fae.
The Anne Rice Vampire Ball, organized by the Vampire Lestatt Fan Club, is held annually at the Derbes Mansion, 2257 Bayou Road, and the Vampire Ball Weekend is hosted at the House of Blues, 225 Decatur Street.
You may enjoy a spooky time in New Orleans without attending a Halloween-themed party, even though the tickets for these events can be expensive.
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New Orleans is haunted by the marks of history
The French Quarter, New Orleans’ oldest neighborhood, is home to ancient pubs, restaurants, and hotels that date back to the 18th century. A tour of these establishments is bound to raise some paranormal frequencies in some locations, leaving you with more questions than answers.
For pub grub, traditional Southern cocktails, and glimpses of historical figures such as voodoo queens and pirates, as well as General Andrew Jackson himself, stop into the Old Absinthe House, located at 240 Bourbon Street.
Pere Dagobert, an 18th-century priest, has been known to stroll the aisles of St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously operating Catholic cathedral in the United States, located at 615 Pere Antoine Alley.
Stay at the Andrew Jackson Hotel, 919 Royal Street, to experience ghost stories for yourself.
A boys’ home was constructed in 1792 to house orphans from the Yellow Fever epidemic that had decimated the city; however, the facility was destroyed by fire in just two years, destroying five boys as well as a large portion of the French Quarter.
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