Halloween time, and the living is creepy? Well, it's definitely fun and the calendar is full of things to do for all ages throughout the metro area. Here's a sample with some Lagniappe thrown in:
Get a mouthful of south Louisiana tradition this weekend in LaPlace at the ANDOUILLE FESTIVAL at the St. John Community Center, 2900 Highway 51, the first exit off I-10 after the spillway. A quintessential Bayou state festival, there's plenty of food, arts and crafts, entertainment (Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, Tee Nah Nah, The Phunky Monkeys), carnival rides, gospel music (Beacon LIght Praise Team, Called to Worship, Pastor Juan Adams and Outlet Worship), a run/walk, festival queens, kids' activities and more. The fun starts at 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $3. Get a taste of what's in store here.
Get ready for the fright night fling that is KREWE OF BOO parade Saturday at 6:30 p.m. staring in the Marigny, rolling through the Vieux Carré, looping on Canal Street then ending in the Warehouse District at Generations Hall on Andrew Higgins Boulevard for the MONSTER MASH costume after party at 8 p.m. During the day Saturday, there also the ZOMBIE RUN starting at 9 a.m. for a two-mile race through a zombie-infested route in the Warehouse District. Check out these and many more fun events here.
Festivals are popping up around the city. FUNK FEST will rock the New Orleans Jazz Museum (400 Esplanade Ave.) Friday from 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon with The Meters, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Big Sam's Funky Nation and the Bucktown Allstars. Prices start at $30. Get funky with it here. Saturday from 11 a.m. is TREMÉ FALL FESTIVAL celebrating the culture and neighborhood next to the French Quarter, in the 1100 block of Henriette DeLille with food, crafts, music and a second line. Get into the fest rhythm here. Celebrating music, the DOWN IN TREMÉ concert series presents an African American composers showcase Sunday at 2 p.m. at St. Anna's Episcopal Church (1313 Esplanade Ave.) with an RSVP requested. Check it out here.
Bibliophiles, take heart: the three-day BIG BOOK SALE is here at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, 4545 Williams Blvd. Friends of the Jefferson Parish Public Library have collected literally thousands of books, DVDs and more and are offering them are remarkable prices. There are also four special items to be included in an auction, including a rose encyclopedia, a reprint of Audubon's "Birds" and more. The sale runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, plus noon to 5 p.m. Sunday (just in time to catch a bite at the Food Truck Festival noted below). Get the information here.
Take little ghouls and goblins of all ages to the French Market District Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for BOO CARRÉ, the Halloween festivities in the French Quarter on Dutch Alley. The one-day good times includes music, activities for children, a Spooky Second Line and trick-or-treating. Costumed kiddies get a free Boo Carré tote for the haul. Expect to hear from Charmaine Neville duo, Johnette Downing, the National Park's Arrowhead Jazz Band and more. The fun starts in the 900 block of North Peters Street. Vieux Carré cavorting can start here.
Lafreniere Park gets frightfully fun Saturday with a pair of party-type events for the whole family, hosted by the Dawn Busters Kiwanis. BOO-2-U kicks off the day at 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a holiday-themed festival that includes inflatables, a pumpkin patch hunt, carousel rides, pet adoptions, costume contests and a marketplace for adults with seasonal decor and more. Then, at 6 p.m., almost 50 vehicles will be dishing out goodies for TRUNK OR TREAT, a all-in-one-spot shot for candy and more. Tickets for each are $15 for children, $10 for adults for Boo-2-U. The park is located at 3000 Downs Blvd., Metairie. Get primed for the fun here.
Welcome to OKTOBERFEST. Raise a stein, munch a pretzel and have a good time at the annual celebration at Trinity Lutheran Church, 438 Olivier St., Algiers from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. This church, rich in German heritage, has been celebrating the autumnal event for more than a quarter of a century, with foods, music and, of course, bier...uh, beer. And don't forget the schnapps wagon. Get more on the fun here.
Can't find that Vlad the Impaler cloak? Misplaced the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers makeup? Finding the Elpha garb elusive? Well, as luck would have it, Saturday at noon is the annual HALLOWEEN COSTUME BOO-TIQUE put on be the Threadhead Cultural Foundation at the AllWays Lounge & Cabaret, 2240 St. Claude Ave. This collaboration of costume couture is a melange of milners, assemblage artists, mask-makers and vintage togs for that look that gets the frights or fancies. Check out more on the fun here.
Need a little LPO in your ear? Guess what? There's two chances this weekend to enjoy the strains of the symphony, both under the direction of guest conductor Joshua Gersen. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Orpheum Theater (129 Roosevelt Way), RACHMANINOFF'S "SYMPHONIC DANCES" will features the musicians and dancers from New Orleans Ballet Theatre in a program that includes Prokofiev's suite from "Romeo and Juliet" and Ortiz's "Kauyumari." Then, on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Roussel Hall at Loyola (6363 St. Charles Ave.), Gersen and company get frightfully festive with a FAMILY CONCERT: HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR when the musicians don costumes and play some of the seasons most spine-tingling numbers, like Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain," Saint-Saens' "Danse macabre, Op. 40," Elfman's Batman theme from "Movie Spectacular" and Temperton's "Thriller/Beat It: A Tribute to Michael Jackson." Tickets for Saturday start at $10 and Sunday at $16. Check out the classics and more here.
Keep on truckin' over to Kenner's Laketown at the head of Williams Boulevard at Lake Pontchartrain Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL. With more than two dozen trucks expected, the event will also include an arts and crafts Kids' Korner and music from Ryan Foret, Contraflow and the Chee Weez. Park at the Pontchartrain Convention Center and enjoy the afternoon on the lake with delicacies from such diverse offerings as Joel's Lobster Rolls, Shamokin' Chucks, Queen on Wheels and Sneaux NOLA Events. Get more on the fest and the food here.