If the image of a 30-foot-tall killer clown isn’t enough to scare you, there’s plenty more where that came from.
Vampires. Voodoo priestesses. Ghosts. And perhaps the creepiest thing of all, gay men in their late forties still trying to pull off that “sexy Tarzan” costume.
Yep, it’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween in New Orleans, easily one of the best places this side of a Salem witch-burning to spend the spooky holiday. This is a town as rich in haunted history as it is food, jazz, and Creole culture.
If you’ve never been to the Big Easy, or never been for Halloween, the weekend events are so extravagant they’re only eclipsed by Mardi Gras and Southern Decadence in scope.
Of course, it should come as no surprise that the gays embrace Halloween here in such a grand way, they’ve taken over Harrah’s Theater, the House of Blues, the Convention Center and even the Steamboat Natchez for four days and nights of festivities. It’s all part of Halloween 28 in New Orleans, a huge fundraiser for Project Lazarus, an organization that provides direct AIDS services.
Then hit all of New Orleans’ famous gay bars where there’s sure to be something interesting going on. (Like go-go boys so fit and skinny, their costumes are “skeleton” by default.)
And don’t forget to bring your Ouija Board for a little cemetery hijinks, an appetite for plenty of between-cocktail meals and at least one great costume for strolling through the French Quarter.
There are still great room bargains and even decent airfare, but don’t wait too much longer or the scariest thing ever will be your credit card bill come November.
$275 four-day pass to Halloween 28 in New Orleans
October 27 – 30, 2011
Full schedule of events online
www.halloweenneworleans.com
Visit the New Orleans Tourism site for more Halloween activities
www.neworleansonline.com
Photo credit: Pat Garin
