Jacquie Petrovic

I am about to book my first trip to New Orleans. We would likely be going in mid-October, but could possibly hold off till late October to be there for Halloween. Should we do so? Is Halloween in New Orleans worth experiencing, or would it just be noisier & more crowded & more expensive (i.e. overrun by tourists), so not necessarily better? Any discernible difference in temperature between mid and late October? Any concerns re hurricanes? Thanks very much to all who respond.

julie

I don't think there is much difference in weather from mid to late Oct.

I don't think there is much for adults for Halloween but there are a few things for kids like Boo at the Zoo (ok, nothing great) and Sheriff Foti's haunted house (never went, don't like haunted houses). I don't think Halloween is that a big a deal here; worth changing your vacation dates.
I also don't think it will be more or less noisy or crowded in mid or late Oct.

This is the near the end of Hurricane season. I don't ever remember being concerned with them at this time of the year. We are usually most concerned in August.

John

I disagree with Julie on this one. I think Halloween is a lot of fun in New Orleans and the streets are packed with revelers. It is more expensive because of high demand for hotel rooms, however. Also, October 31 is on a Wednesday this year so many of the big parties will be the prior weekend.

Meg

I agree with John. Halloween is a big deal here with a lot of parties and people watching throughout the Quarter. Bring a costume.

Julie

Just a question for Meg and John. I know you live here and are very knowledgable (sp) so I respect your opinions. I was just wondering if know whether Halloween in N.O. is more fun than in other places?

I just don't think it is that great. Maybe I just don't care for Halloween. I would rather visit N.O. during Christmas if I were a tourist. I like the Christmas activities.

John

Julie, to be honest it probably depends where you are and what you like. As a B&B owner, I know Halloween is a "high demand" period for rooms. There are many parties in the city, including the Anne Rice shindig (although I think 2000 was the last one) and the Project Lazarus parties. I think it's fun just to watch the costumes on the streets, too, especially on Bourbon and after the Lazarus party on Saturday night.

It's hard to compare Halloween to the parties in the Village (NYC), Castro (SF) and Key West. However, I'd rank it in the top five.

Meg

I guess the main difference in Christmas and Halloween (other than the obviously different focus) is one is a season and one is just one night. That one night can be a lot of fun for parties and costumes. Christmas offers something entirely different - and probably draws a different crowd. No one really goes anywhere to party or get crazy for Christmas, but that's the exact thing the Halloween crowds are looking for. The Lazarus parties bring a lot of people in from out of town and raise a lot of money for a great cause.

Julie

Thanks. I never did anything "adult" for Halloween. I always just went to the kiddie attractions with my daughter, like Boo at the Zoo, and the unscary parties at the nature center and LA Children's Museum.

Maybe one year I can get my mom to babysit then I can go to one of the Adult Halloween parties.