Celebrate the Season New Orleans Style

PHOTO: Bourbon Street. (courtesy Wikimedia)

As the year comes to an end the celebrations in New Orleans are just beginning. The autumn and winter festivities take off with Halloween, a multi-day celebration that New Orleans does like nowhere else.

As a city historically tied to Voodoo magic, where haunted ghost tours and cemetery tours are easy to come by, there is no question why New Orleans has the best Halloween celebration a traveler could find. This year, the festivities begin on Oct. 30 with the first day of the annual three-day VooDoo Music + Art Experience. This festival features performances by artists of all different genres, including headliners such as Ozzy Osbourne, Zac Brown Band, Chance the Rapper and Alesso. It’s the perfect opportunity for your client to don their first Halloween costume of the weekend and experience the fun and spooky vibes of a New Orleans Halloween through music.

Even in New Orleans, Halloween must eventually come to an end, but luckily the cobwebs and candy are soon replaced with the best of New Orleans’ favorite past time: food. Thanksgiving in New Orleans offers delicious dinner menus at some of the city’s best restaurants. Contact the CVB for a complete list of restaurants that will be open on Thanksgiving Day, which includes Court of Two Sisters, Besh Steak House, The Rib Room at the Omni Royal Hotel and Restaurant R’evolution. All of these restaurants’ delicious menus and warm atmospheres provide their guests with even more to be thankful for. If your client wants to make a week out of it in order to enjoy the city’s lovely fall weather, they can arrive in time for the Oak Street Poboy Festival on Nov. 23. Live music and restaurant booths selling extravagant poboys line one of New Orleans’ coolest streets, kicking off a week of delicious food and fun times with family and friends.

When no one can eat another delectable bite, New Orleans’ Bayou Classic Thanksgiving Day Parade provides the perfect entertainment to soothe a turkey-coma. Watch top-tier college marching bands and dance teams stride through the city among Thanksgiving themed floats in typical New Orleans fashion. Once the parade is over and the food has settled, it’s the perfect time to check out Celebration in the Oaks on its opening night, where the beautiful oak trees in New Orleans’ City Park are draped in designs made of twinkling holiday lights. This beautiful site is open from Thanksgiving Day until Jan. 3, so whether your client visits in November or later in the season, they will be able to experience the spirit of the holidays.

New Orleans has even more to offer for the December holidays, which we would love to share with you during our Christmas fam trips. For more information or to register for the Christmas fam, please visit NewOrleansCVB.com. If you have any questions about New Orleans’ holiday attractions or would like assistance with booking your client’s trip, please contact me at lstraughan@neworleanscvb.com or 504-566-5018.