While the temperatures drop, we switch from enjoying the cool A/C of the great indoors to kicking open the door and enjoying the great outdoors. That’s why we’re here. To help you enjoy all the things on the inside and out of NOLA. And while we’ve been finding things to do in the fall for y’all, we’ve also been looking at the things that rise in this spooky season – from ghoulish to ghastly, we have another look into the haunted history of our Crescent City.
From cookouts to Hogs for the Cause
Rodney Beals has never met a stranger. In fact, this “butt-master” for local pop-up Big Boyz BBQ, has been nicknamed “The Mayor of Mid-City” for as long as anyone can remember. Behind the girl since the age of 11, his passion for grilling grew from cookouts at City Park to a full blown festival — Hogs for the Cause. Beals talked to us about his passion for the pit and what makes his food so irresistible.
Horror and Hauntings at New Orleans’ Historic French Quarter Pharmacy
Gruesome and horrific medical experiments. Remains found in the courtyard. Some women report feeling nauseated or experiencing abdominal cramps where the alleged dark deeds were performed. Apparently, Dr. Louis Dupas missed the golden rule of medical professionals; Do no harm. Reports of his spirit (and those he performed ghastly experiments on) surround the nation’s oldest pharmacy on Chartres Street, and the tales are enough to give you goosebumps.
If These Walls Could Talk
Maybe you’ve never heard of Treme’s Petit Jazz Museum — it’s a one-room gallery in the heart of one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. But if these walls could talk, they’d tell you the stories of Allen Toussaint, Fats Domino and how contracts signed by jazz legends were kept intact under the bodies of the homeless, who used the documents as bedding. Read more about this little museum with lots of history here.
Coming Up (Sponsored)
FRIDAY (Nov. 1) : 2 p.m. – 9p.m.
Saturday programming runs until 10:00pm
Big Easy Con is an all-new pop culture convention celebrating the unique spirit that makes New Orleans one of the best cities in the world! Bring the whole family and enjoy Big Easy Jr., featuring kid-friendly meet and greets, and live entertainment all weekend, including PaintJam live speed painting, the National Wildlife Federation Animal Show with Naturalist David Mizejewski, and Kid’s Costume Parade! Buy tickets here!
What’s Happening This Weekend
Fri. Oct. 18, 2019
Mid-City Porch Crawl | 6 p.m. – Midnight | NOLA Craft Culture | $25 – $55
This porch crawl provides Mid-City residents the opportunity to meet neighbors and enjoy food and drink from over a dozen Mid-City restaurants and bars. Participating revelers will stroll the neighborhood, visiting beautiful and unique Mid-City porches. Costumes are encouraged for the festive Halloween themed event.
Blues and BBQ Fest | 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Lafayette Square | Free to attend
This festival features two stages of music, a dozen vendors of the best BBQ in the region and a huge arts market. Houma native and blues guitarist Tab Benoit will close out the show Friday night.
NOLA Reggae Fest | 5 p.m. | Congo Square | $5
This two-day festival features more than 40 vendors and 20 musical acts across two stages in the park.
Sat. Oct. 19, 2019
New Orleans Film Festival | Oct. 16-23 | Various venues, ticket prices
This eight-day festival brings together more than 200 films from local and national filmmakers. Saturday has a mix of free screenings (in case you’re a movie lover on a budget) but the centerpiece film will be “Burning Cane,” starring Wendell Pierce and directed by NOCCA graduate Philip Youmans.
Boo Carre Halloween Haunt | 10:30 a.m. | French Market | Free
Live music, trick-or-treating, and fun for the kiddos is going down in Dutch Alley this Saturday. Kids will receive a free reusable French Market tote while supplies last.
Sun. Oct. 20, 2019
House on Haunted Hill | Prytania Theatre | 10 a.m. | $6
Check out this Halloween classic starring Vincent Prince, who plays an eccentric millionaire who offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, house party overnight with him and his wife.
Dog Yoga with Zeus Rescues | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | New Orleans JCC | Free
“Doga,” as some call it, is a fun opportunity for both human and canine yogis to enjoy a relaxing (but possibly slobbery!) practice. This class will take place under the Bart Family Pavilion next to the fitness entrance on Leontine Street. This class is free and open to the community, but registration is required.
